Shattered Hearts
by DarkAngelclm
Summary: What happens when Damon finds out Katherine never really loved him and that she is back in Mystic Falls for Stefan?What happens when Elena finds him in a shattered state and feels the sudden urge to comfort him? What other truths will be revealed?
1. The Cold,Hard Truth

'I never really loved you Damon.'

The words made every inch of Damon ice up inside and begin to crack, the look of seriousness in Katherine's eyes made him finally shatter. For a while Damon could not move, he simply stood there and looked at her with complete disbelief. The silence filled the air and grew heavy around him as the pain he finally began to feel seeped out and around him. It felt as though the air around him was turning into some poisonous gas and it was suffocating him. His chest heaved as he tried to breathe, every artery and every air way in him seeming to constrict.

Katherine did nothing but stand there, her eyes cold, serious and completely empty, not a flicker of emotion in them. Damon swallowed hard, trying to force the lump in his throat down. Finally he found the ability to move and walked past her. With every step he took a piece of him would grow numb until he felt like a mindless zombie just stumbling around. He walked out into the cool night air and headed off back to the boarding house, not taking notice of anything around him. Not feeling anything, not hearing anything, and just letting his legs lead him back home. He opened the door and walked inside. He poured himself a drink, looked at the glass and tossed it into the fireplace before grabbing the bottle and heading upstairs.

'Damon, is everything alright?'

Damon stopped when he saw his brother and simply shook his head.

'What the hell do you care Stefan?' Damon whispered before turning and walking into his room.

Stefan frowned and followed his brother into the room.

'I'm still your brother Damon and I've never seen you look like this so yeah, I'm going to show concern. So what's wrong?'

Damon took the top off the bottle, tossed it somewhere on the floor and began to guzzle down the Jack Daniels whiskey, enjoying the burn because it made him realize he was still…well still a non-living, living person. Stefan sighed and walked over to Damon, grabbing the bottle and setting it down on the table.

'Damon, talk to me.'

Damon glared at his brother and then picked up the bottle once more.

'First off, don't touch my booze and second, I'm not really into trying to have some heart-to-heart conversation with my younger brother. I'm not into all the mushy stuff among siblings thank you,' Damon replied, taking another long swig of the whiskey and walking over to the window. Stefan shook his head and looked down at the floor, a frown on his face as he tried to think of reasons why Damon would be like this and then the obvious one hit him.

Stefan looked up and walked over to Damon.

'You saw Katherine didn't you?'

Damon stood at the window, staring out of it, not saying a word. That was Damon's way of saying 'yes it is and I suggest you leave it at that.' But Stefan wasn't going to do that. He wasn't going to just leave it alone because he had seen Katherine too and he needed to know what she had said to Damon.

'What did she say to you Damon?'

Damon turned and looked at Stefan, a scowl on his face.

'What the hell do _you_ care? What she said to me was for me alone and _not_ you. So just get the hell out of my room.'

Damon turned to stare out the window once again, taking another long swig from the bottle, the alcohol finally seeming to warm him up and now he was regretting it because the more it warmed him up the more of the pain he could feel. But Damon was good at hiding his pain…at least around his brother. Stefan looked at his brother and let out a sigh, shaking his head.

'Please just tell me Damon. I'm asking this because…because she came to see me the other day and she told me why she was back here in Mystic Falls.'

Damon snapped his head back in his brother's direction at those words, a frown still evident on his face.

'Why the _hell_ would she come and see y-'

Damon stopped as all the pieces fell into place, a low growl rumbling through his chest as the blade she planted deep into his chest with her words just seemed to be twisted round and round, driving itself deeper into his undead heart at the sudden realization.

'Damon she-'

Stefan's words weren't even out of his mouth fully when Damon flung him across the room. He moved in front of his brother within a matter of seconds, picked him up off the floor and pinned him against the wall, crushing his throat. Damon's eyes were blood red and his fangs exposed as he hissed low.

'She came back….for _you!_ She's here because she loves _you!_'

'Da…mon…let…me…go,' Stefan choked out, clawing at his brother's hand.

Damon glared up at his brother, his grip tightening. He wanted to kill him. He wanted to snap Stefan's neck and rob Katherine of the one person she clearly loved because he wanted to make her suffer. But then Elena came floating into his mind and he knew if he did this, if he killed Stefan, she would hate him forever and _that_ was something he could not bare to have. Damon growled and released his brother.

Stefan slumped down onto the floor, rubbing his neck and coughing. He looked up at Damon.

'I'm s-'

'Don't tell me you're sorry Stefan,' Damon snapped at his brother before bending down on his haunches to be at eye level with his brother. 'You want to know what she said to me. She told me that she never really loved me,' Damon said each word slowly. Damon glared at his brother his chest heaving. Stefan remained silent, unable to think of anything to say, other than sorry of course. Damon let out a short sigh and then stood up, glaring down at his brother, shaking his head.

'As always Stefan you get everything, you get your happy ending and what do I get left with? A big, fat _nothing_. You got Elena, now you have the satisfaction of knowing that _I_ was really the one that Katherine just turned out of boredom and _you're_ the one that she truly loved and wanted to be with.' Damon swallowed hard against the lump forming in his throat. 'Thank you for giving me just _one_ more reason to really and truly hate you brother.'

Damon stormed out of his room and headed downstairs, leaving Stefan in a silent state of shock on the floor. Damon threw the door open and headed out into the cold, dark night, heading off towards the woods, not noticing Katherine appearing out of the shadows on from the side of the house, a small, cold smile on her face. Katherine slipped into the boarding house and headed up the stairs to find Stefan. Moments later a car pulled into the drive, the engine cut off and Elena got out. She had come around to speak to Stefan and ask him about how the meeting with Katherine went. As she got out the car she noticed Damon storming off towards the woods. She frowned slightly, head tilted to the side.

'Damon!'

No response.

'Damon!'

No response and then he disappeared into the shadows. Elena shook her head and rolled her eyes wondering what had gotten to him. She let out a sigh and turned and headed off towards the boarding house.


	2. I Don't Love You, I Do Love You

Katherine walked up the stairs and stopped when she saw Stefan emerging from a room, his hand running along his neck. He stopped when he saw her, his face lighting up for only a second before it grew serious. He clearly could tell the difference now between her and Elena. Katherine wasn't going to be able to fool him.

'Hello again Stefan,' Katherine said, leaning against the banister at the top of the stairs, arms folded across her chest, head tilted to the side.

'Katherine just…just get out of here,' Stefan replied before sighing and turning away from her to head to his own room. He stopped when she was suddenly in front of him.

'Now is that any way to greet the woman you love?' she asked, pouting playfully.

Stefan growled low. 'I…don't…love…you.'

He pushed past her and continued on his way to his room, throwing the door open as he walked inside. He heard the door close slightly as Katherine entered behind him.

'Oh but I know you do Stefan,' she cooed the words as she sat down on the edge of his desk, watching him as he walked over to the bedside table to turn on the lamp.

Stefan turned and walked over to Katherine, glaring at her, arms folded across his chest.

'Let's get one thing straight here Katherine. _You_ may be back here because you want me back but _I_ want absolutely _nothing_ to with you. I am in love with Elena and that's the way it is going to stay. So, now that you have shattered my brother's heart with your harsh truth and now that you _know_ I want nothing to do with you I suggest you leave Mystic Falls.'

Stefan turned to walk away from her but Katherine grabbed him and pulled him back to her, pulling him between her legs which she locked firmly around him. Stefan looked down at her legs and then back at her.

'Katherine let me go.'

Katherine shook her head, a serious look in her eyes. 'No Stefan. I lost you once and I'm not losing you again. You brother was a mistake. I should have never turned him,' she ran a finger down along Stefan's jaw line making him pull away from her. 'It's always only ever been you.'

Stefan growled once more and leaned in close. 'That's a little hard to believe considering you screwed around with my brother. Now get out!' He snapped at her, breaking free from her hold and walking towards the door. Katherine once again made her way to stand in front of him and then pushed him back until he landed on the bed. She grabbed both his hands and pinned them above his head, her eyes going black as she straddled him, a low hiss escaping her.

'I will _not _take no as answer from you Stefan. I _know_ you want to be with me. I could see it in your eyes when we spoke the first time. You being the kind of person you are you just don't want to hurt that little pathetic excuse for a human girlfriend of yours.' She leaned in closer to him, her lips inches from his, grinding her hips down against his, hearing a low growl escaping him making her smile wickedly. 'You know you want me Stefan. And the more you try to deny it, the more damage you're going to cause to Elena and I'm sure you don't want that.'

Stefan's breathing became slightly heavier as he looked up at Katherine, feeling her lips inches away from his own, feeling her breath brush over his lips. He knew she was right. A part of him still wanted her and the more he thought about it the more that part of him was taking control. But he didn't want to hurt Elena because the part of him that loved her couldn't bare the thought of letting her go. She was so different from Katherine. The only thing she possessed was Katherine's beauty.

'Katherine….get…off… me,' Stefan hissed the words.

Katherine responded by grinding her hips a little harder down onto his own causing him to growl.

'Mmmm, I don't think that's what you _really _want.'

Something in Stefan snapped at her words and before he knew it, his lips were pressed against hers in an intense kiss. Katherine gasped in surprise but then began to purr softly as the kiss grew wilder. She released her hold on him and Stefan rolled them, pulling her beneath him.

'There's the Stefan I know,' she whispered breathlessly as his lips moved down along her neck.

Stefan trailed his hands down along her curves making her growl low and squirm beneath him, her hips continuing to grind up against his as her hands worked to unbutton his shirt. He didn't know why the hell he was doing this but some small part of him whispered softly: _Elena, I'm sorry, _and then that part of him was completely consumed by the part of him that craved every inch of Katherine, that rejoiced in having her in his arms once again…a part of him he was so sure was dead and gone.

**Elena's POV**

Elena walked into the boarding house and headed for the stairs.

'Stefan, are you home?' she called out as she walked up the stairs. She heard muffled voices coming from down the hall and as she walked towards the sound she noticed that they were coming from Stefan's room. She stopped outside the door that stood ajar and peered in to see Katherine sitting on the edge of the desk.

'Let's get one thing straight here Katherine. _You_ may be back here because you want me back but _I_ want absolutely _nothing_ to with you. I am in love with Elena and that's the way it is going to stay. So, now that you have shattered my brother's heart with your harsh truth and now that you _know_ I want nothing to do with you I suggest you leave Mystic Falls.'

Elena frowned slightly and smiled softly at the words from Stefan. She loved the way he told her straight out that he loved her but her heart seemed to ache when he mentioned Damon and a shattered heart. Elena cared deeply for Damon and it nearly killed her to see him in the state he had been in after he found out about Katherine not being in the tomb and still being alive; though of course Elena would never admit to just how much it had affected her to see Damon like that because it would just make Stefan even more jealous than he already was. She shook the thoughts from her mind and focused on the conversation in the room. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw Katherine pull Stefan to her and wrap her legs around him and a flash of anger raged through Elena at that but she didn't want them to know she was there.

'Katherine let me go.'

Elena watched as Katherine shook her head

.'No Stefan. I lost you once and I'm not losing you again. You brother was a mistake. I should have never turned him,'

Elena's mouth went slack and hung open slightly at those words. She couldn't believe what she had just heard Katherine say. Damon had _loved_ her so passionately and with so much intensity. She could feel it and hear it in his voice when he spoke to Elena about her. Sometimes Elena felt as though she were suffocating beneath the passion he felt for Katherine. Hearing these words from Katherine just made Elena realize that Damon deserved so much better than someone as cold and heartless as she was. He deserved someone who would be able love him with just as much passion as he loved them and Elena hoped he would find that special someone out there for him; although a part of her knew that _she was_ that 'special someone'. She let out a low sigh to let that thought ease out of her

'It's always only ever been you.'

Elena heard a low growl come from Stefan and she moved her eyes from Katherine to Stefan.

'That's a little hard to believe considering you screwed around with my brother. Now get out!'

Elena heard footsteps approaching the door and she began to look around wildly for somewhere to stay hidden. She was about to move when she heard movements on the bed and a low hiss escaping one of them. Elena frowned and stepped back towards the door, looking in slightly to find Katherine on top of Stefan.

'I will _not _take no as answer from you Stefan. I _know_ you want to be with me. I could see it in your eyes when we spoke the first time. You being the kind of person you are you just don't want to hurt that little pathetic excuse for a human girlfriend of yours.'

Elena frowned slightly as she took in those words. Was Katherine telling the truth about what she saw in Stefan's eyes when they had met up or was she just trying to get to him? Elena took a step forward and was about to burst through the door when she heard Stefan growl low just as Katherine swiveled her hips slowly down on him. Elena felt her heart jump into her throat. That was no growl of irritation of anger…she _knew _that growl because she had heard it so often when they had made love. Elena's lips parted slightly as she began to breathe a little heavier. Katherine leaned down and whispered to Stefan.

'You know you want me Stefan. And the more you try to deny it, the more damage you're going to cause to Elena and I'm sure you don't want that.'

'Katherine….get…off… me,'

Elena tried to swallow as she watched Katherine grind down a little harder on Stefan and another growl escaped him.

'Mmmm, I don't think that's what you _really _want.'

Elena covered her mouth as she watched the entire scene before her change, watched as Stefan kissed Katherine, watched as he rolled them, pulling her roughly beneath him. She couldn't believe what she was seeing and suddenly it became very hard for her to breathe.

'There's the Stefan I know,'

Elena turned at those words, feeling as though she was going to either throw up or drop to the floor because she couldn't breathe. She stumbled down the hallway, down the stairs and out the door.

She inhaled sharply as the cool night air hit her face and it was only then that she realized she was feeling slightly clammy. Her chest heaved as she drew in deep breaths trying to slow her racing heart, trying to stop her legs from shaking, trying to block out the images that she had seen on that bed. Elena swallowed hard, trying to prevent herself from wanting to throw up. Elena needed to get away from the house. She knew she wouldn't be able to drive because she felt like she was on the verge of a complete break down and driving would only get her killed…maybe that wasn't such a bad idea. Elena looked to her car and then shook that thought away. No man was worth killing herself over. Elena looked around for an escape and her eyes rested on the dark, twisted trees of the woods. That was where Damon had headed off. She drew in a ragged breath and headed off in the same direction, not caring where the hell she landed up just as long as she got as far away from the house as possible.


	3. Feeling So Numb

**A/N: Okay so thank you all for the reviews so far. This is the third chapter and A LOT of this came from listening to 'From The Inside' by Linkin Park. I think I had that song on repeat for most of today while I wrote this. Next chapter will be available sometime next week only so feel free to read and re-read these three chapters :P **

Damon sat on a log in some dark part of the woods, his eyes completely unfocused, his mind completely switched off. He was simply a hollow shell filled with a swirling pain that needed to run its course. He knew it would eventually disappear but he just didn't know when. He didn't really care. Every last part of him was completely dead, numb, shattered. Damon let out a soft sigh and ran a hand through his hair before he leaned back against the cool, slightly damp surface of the rock behind him. His eyes moved over the shadows in front of him, picking up the slight movements of a few animals as they scampered off.

He could still not believe or accept what he had just figured out. His mind kept playing everything back to him. Stefan had been the one who got Katherine caught in the first place. Katherine had always had to compel Stefan to drink from her whereas Damon did it willingly. Damon was the one who had spent a century and a half looking for a way to get into that tomb to 'save' her and Damon had spent over a century believing that it was only ever meant to be him that was meant to be with Katherine. He had believed that Stefan had been the one Katherine simply toyed around with because she just _had_ to have them both even if she didn't love them both. She had _lied_ to him. Everyone he had ever trusted seemed to have betrayed that trust and fed him nothing but lies. The truth of that stung like a real bitch and Damon could not help but wince at that sudden realization. Damon knew that the only person he ever could rely on was himself because he was the only person he could trust. People, and his brother and Katherine included, made sure of that. Damon was the way he was because he knew keeping people at bay was the only way this sort of emotional shit didn't happen to him. Most of the time Damon had switched off all his emotions because it made his existence a lot easier; the only feelings he had were for Katherine and now he knew that was all one big mistake. She had hurt him and she had hurt him really good this time. He was sure nothing could ever make him feel better. He looked down at his ring on his finger and began to twist it around and around.

It would be so easy. Just slip off the ring, wait a few hours and 'Poof', ashes to ashes for the great Damon Salvatore the man who had his heart completely shattered…twice…by the same woman. It was either that or simply follow Isobel's route and work at switching off all forms of emotion completely. That would be easier and he had a _lot_ of hate and anger that could easily drown out any other forms of emotion in him until eventually there were none left other than the hate and anger but they would eventually consume each other and he would simply be a _true_ vampire. He'd feel nothing and for no one. At this moment though that seemed like a lot of hard work to Damon and he just really did not see a point to existing any more. Slipping the ring off seemed a much simpler option. Damon's mind began to wander once more, going back to the past when he was still human, thoughts of his brother swimming into his mind, of his father who was disappointed in him, of his mother, the only one who truly loved him and thought the world of him…of Katherine. Before Damon knew it two tear drops landed on his hand startling him slightly. He had never cried like this but the more he thought of the past and of Stefan and Katherine in particular the more undone he became. He frowned slightly trying to bite back the tears that seemed to flow freely now and ran a shaky hand through his hair, his chest heaving as he felt a complete breakdown on the verge of consuming him. He couldn't let this happen. He was Damon Salvatore and Damon Salvatore did _not_ have complete emotional breakdowns.

Elena let her legs just march on through the woods, not caring where she was going. She felt numb right to the core and she was amazed that she hadn't started crying yet but she chalked that up to the fact that what she had just seen happen had not yet completely sunk in. She nodded her head slowly and continued on her path through the dark woods, her feet tripping over things every so now and then as they walked but she simply got right back up, dusted herself off and carried on. She felt like some sort of robot just going about what it was programmed to do.

It felt as though Elena had been walking for weeks when she finally collapsed and leaned back against a tree not caring about the damp cold earth beneath her. She let out a low staggered sigh and looked up at the twisted branches above her, her mind trying its best to wrap around everything that had just happened. Elena pulled her legs up and rested her chin on her knees. Maybe this was all just some awful nightmare and she would wake up in her warm bed and realize that there is _no _Katherine, that Stefan is still her boyfriend and still loves her. As his name and face floated into her thoughts she winced slightly. No, this was all real, this was no nightmare. She couldn't fool herself into believing otherwise. As the images of what she saw came flooding back to her Elena felt her chest begin to heave again as it became harder for her to breathe and that feeling of wanting to be sick churned in her stomach; she tried to slow her breathing and take in deeper breaths to try and push away that desire to throw up. Finally her mind seemed to accept what had happened and the first wave of tears began to blur her vision and the lump lodged itself in her throat. She bit back quiet sobs as the tears began to roll down her cheeks. Stefan…_wanted_…to be…with Katherine. Those words solidified everything. Those were the words that made Elena truly realize that Stefan was no longer hers and it made her wonder if Stefan simply stayed with Elena because it was the closest he was ever going to get to having Katherine back. That thought made Elena feel really sick and it took every ounce of her concentration to stop herself from throwing up right there. Elena needed to get out of Mystic Falls for a while. She couldn't be here; she needed some time away to think about everything. Her whole life was coming undone, unraveling at the very seams. Everyone she cared about seemed to be turning against her. She had no one.

Elena stood up and dusted herself off. She turned and began to walk back in the direction of her car when she heard a loud crashing sound followed by a pure animalistic growl. Elena spun around, her heart pounding in her chest. Her mouth was dry and she tried to swallow. _What the hell was that?_ She thought to herself. She backed away slowly, ready to run from whatever the hell was in the woods with her but just as her muscles tensed to start running the growls were replaced with words nad a voice she knew all too well.

'SHE NEVER REALLY LOVED ME! I GAVE HER EVERYTHING!'

'Damon?' she whispered to herself.

Elena hastily made her way through the trees, following the shouts as best she could. She stopped and jumped back slightly as some dark and rather large object seemed to fly right past her and crash to the ground. She looked in the direction of the now shattered object, trying to make out what it was. It seemed like a log or perhaps it was a rock, she couldn't be sure. She shook her thoughts clear of that and looked around for Damon. She drew in a sharp breath when she saw him sitting on the damp ground, his back to her. She took a few steps towards him and her entire heart broke completely at the site of Damon's entire body shaking violently. She had never seen Damon so entirely broken before. She took a few cautious steps towards him until she stood in front of him, amazed that he hadn't looked up. He usually knew when she was coming even before she had pulled into the drive outside the house. He was always so sharp but now, now he just didn't seem to care about anything else. Elena knelt down in front of Damon, hearing the softest of sobs escaping him. She reached out to him with a shaky had and softly placed it on his. Damon looked up then and the sheer hurt and pain in his eyes made Elena begin to cry all over again and harder than she had before.

'Damon…I…I'm so sorry,' she whispered to him through sobs of her own. 'I'm….I'm really, really…so sorry.'

Damon looked away from her, his eyes once again unfocused.

'She…never…..l…loved…me,' He whispered. 'It's….it's always Stefan…who gets…_exactly_….what he wants,' Damon looked back at Elena. 'He _always_ gets….his happy…ending. And I…get nothing. I end up the one being broken and left with nothing but hate and anger for everything and everyone around me because of _him_.'

Elena swallowed hard; she didn't know what to say to that. Damon was right. Now that she thought about it all, Stefan always seemed to get what he wanted. Stefan, the good brother, always got whatever he wanted and no one ever paid attention to Damon, never ever wondered why he was the kind of person he was. They simply settled with him being that way because that is just the way he is but not _once_ did anyone ever think that maybe there were things in his existence that molded him into this type of person. Elena had been one of those people. She had simply thought he was just an ass because that was just who he was, that he just took pleasure in causing havoc and misery in people's lives, especially Stefan's. But now she could understand completely why Damon was the person he was. It was easier pushing people away and keeping them at bay than it was to let them in because when he let people in, they all just turned around and hurt him in the worst ways possible.

Damon looked down at his ring once more.

'What's the point in me existing anymore,' he whispered. 'I have no reason to stay alive.'

Damon began to pull the ring from his finger. Elena gasped and grabbed his hand.

'Damon, don't do that, please don't do that,' Elena begged.

Damon looked at her, frowning slightly and shaking his head.

'Why not, it's not like I'm going to be missed.'

Elena bit back a fresh wave of tears as the thought of _not_ having Damon around played over and over in her mind and she hated it. He had become a friend and one that she could always rely on and right now she needed a friend that understood what she was going through.

'Damon…how can you say that?' she whispered.

'Because it's true,' Damon replied.

Elena pried his hand free and moved closer to him, cupping his face in her hands.

'It's not true Damon. _I_ would miss you. Damon, please don't go. I _need_ you here with me. You're the only one I have left who hasn't turned his back on me. Please, just…stay.'

Elena broke down completely, sobbing hard. This is how she was supposed to react when she had witnessed what she had but instead she was having a complete breakdown over the thought of Damon ending his life and leaving her all alone. Damon slipped his ring back and wrapped his arms around Elena, hugging her close to him. Elena melted into the hug and buried her face into his chest, her hands gripping onto his jacket.

'Sssshhh, it's okay Elena. I…I'm here. I'm not going anywhere.' Damon whispered into her hair.

Damon rested his head on top of hers and held her tightly against him.

**Damon's POV:**

Damon had finally snapped. He had tried to fight off the breakdown but he lost the battle. He went into a rage, tearing up things from the ground and throwing them around. Growls of anger and hurt ripping through his chest; Damon couldn't recall ever being like this in his entire existence.

'SHE NEVER REALLY LOVED ME! I GAVE HER EVERYTHING!'

He grabbed a hold of the log he had been sitting on and threw it into the shadows, hearing it splinter and break before he collapsed onto the floor, his entire body shaking as soft sobs slipped past his lips and tears burned his eyes. Damon let his head hang down, his fingers lacing together as his arms rested on his legs. He heard movement somewhere in the woods but he just couldn't be bothered to move if it was something or someone out to get him. Hell he wouldn't even put up a fight if it _was_ some vengeful tomb vampire that had it in for him. Suddenly he felt a soft, warm hand on his own and Damon looked up, his eyes meeting with a set of soft, pain-filled brown eyes. It was Elena. He couldn't hide anything from her so he didn't even try. She always managed to see right through his defenses, always saw right into the very centre of him. At first it was a little unnerving the way she seemed to have such a good understanding of him, seemed to know him better than he sometimes knew himself but now, it was comforting knowing that there was someone in this world that understood him. The moment his eyes met hers Elena began to cry and that was one thing Damon hated seeing was Elena upset but right now he was just too consumed with his own pain to react to her tears.

'Damon…I…I'm so sorry,' she whispered to him through sobs of her own. 'I'm….I'm really, really…so sorry.'

Damon looked away from Elena and the words just came tumbling out.

She…never…..l…loved…me. It's….it's always Stefan…who gets…_exactly_….what he wants,' Damon looked back at Elena. 'He _always_ gets….his happy…ending. And I…get nothing. I end up the one being broken and left with nothing but hate and anger for everything and everyone around me because of _him_.'

Damon looked down at his ring once more. His mind made its decision quickly.

'What's the point in me existing anymore,' he whispered. 'I have no reason to stay alive.'

Damon began to pull the ring from his finger but stopped the moment he heard Elena gasp and grabbed his hand, holding it as tightly as was possible for her, trying to pull his hand away from his ring.

'Damon, don't do that, please don't do that,' Elena begged.

Damon looked at Elena, frowning slightly as he saw the utter terror and pain in her eyes at his words and at the realization of what he wanted to do. Why the hell was she so against it? They were friends and nothing more. Damon knew the world would be better off without him in it.

'Why not, it's not like I'm going to be missed.'

Damon watched as a fresh lot of tears began to roll down Elena's cheeks. Damon cursed himself silently knowing that those words weren't really true but he hey, he was having a whole emotional break down, he may as well throw in the 'Nobody likes me' bit into it as well. He really and truly didn't care anymore.

Damon…how can you say that?' she whispered.

'Because it's true,' Damon replied.

Damon was taken off guard completely as he felt his fingers being pulled loose from each other and felt Elena's hands cup his face.

'It's not true Damon. _I_ would miss you. Damon, please don't go. I _need_ you here with me. You're the only one I have left who hasn't turned his back on me. Please, just…stay.'

At that moment Elena broke down into hysterical sobs. Damon's own pain seemed to be pushed one side the moment Elena broke down. He had never seen her like this before. Damon pushed the ring back onto his fingers before wrapping his arms around Elena and holding her close to him. He rested his head on hers and tried to calm her down as best he could. He didn't realize just how much he really meant to her until now. He definitely couldn't end his existence now, not when he _knew_ that Elena cared so much for him.

'Sssshhh, it's okay Elena. I…I'm here. I'm not going anywhere.' Damon whispered into her hair.

Damon rested his head on top of hers and held her tightly against him.


	4. The Decision is Made

**A/N: Okay I know this Chapter has taken forever to get up but I have been busy. It's not the greatest but hey, it has to go up in order to continue the story **

Elena eventually managed to calm down and pulled away, wiping away the tears on her face, sniffing and feeling just a little embarrassed for breaking down like that. She didn't know how Damon would take it. She looked up to him and was surprised to see that he didn't wear his usual smirk on his face. She was so sure he would take this whole break down of hers as a sure sign of her having deep, intimate feelings for him and was expecting him to pass some remark about it. _Of course he wouldn't Elena, don't be such an idiot. The man is hurting over the fact that he just found out the woman he has loved for over a century has never loved him. _Elena shook the thoughts aside and smiled slightly up at Damon whose concerned and worried expression relaxed slightly when she smiled. He let out a sigh and brushed her hair back over her shoulders.

'Are you okay?'

Elena shrugged. 'As good as I can be for now,' Elena whispered.

Damon nodded, understanding that it was an idiotic question to ask.

Elena chewed on her lip as she looked down at her hands, watching her fingers lace together and then disentangle over and over again.

Damon watched her as she watched her fingers, wondering what she was thinking. Damon lifted one hand and ran it down Elena's back slowly.

'Elena what are you thinking?'

Elena looked up at him and let out a sigh.

'I'm waiting for someone to wake me up from this nightmare. I still think this is just all a dream.' She replied, swallowing against the lump forming in her throat.

Damon nodded slowly, looking down and away from Elena. 'I know _exactly_ how you are feeling.'

Elena wasn't used to seeing Damon like this; it was becoming a little unnerving. She was so used to his cocky, arrogant ways and now…now he was just…empty, devoid of everything that made him who he was, made him the person she had grown to care about. She knew what they needed. Elena stood up from the ground and held out her hand to Damon. Damon frowned, looking from her hand then to her.

'What?'

'Come on Damon, we're getting out of Mystic Falls for a while.'

Damon's mouth hung open slightly. 'Out…why?'

'Because we _need_ to get away from everything that is causing us so much pain, just for a little while; you and I are going through basically the same thing Damon, the only difference is the length of time we loved the respective people. Now come on, just…take my hand.'

Damon looked at Elena's hand once more, a part of him knowing that she was right but another part of him still just wanting to sit in the solitude of the woods and pretty much just mope around. Damon sighed and then placed his hand in Elena's, his skin tingling beneath her warm touch. She gently pulled him up off the ground and then turned to walk out of the woods, her hand still firmly locked around his. Damon's mind was torn into two lots of thoughts. The one lot were focused on the sharp pain still swirling around in him as his mind ran over thoughts of Katherine and it wondered how long he'd have to feel that pain. The other lot of thoughts was focused on Elena and the feel of her hand wrapped around his, the feel of her soft skin and her warmth that seemed to seep into _his_ skin.

Elena eventually found her way out of the woods and headed in the direction of her car but suddenly she was being pulled towards the house. She frowned as she felt her direction change. She looked at Damon and then towards the house. She gasped and then planted her feet firmly on the ground. When she did this Damon stopped and looked at her, frowning slightly.

'Elena, why are you stopping?'

'Why do you want to go to the house?' she replied to his question with one of her own.

Damon raised a brow with a 'are you seriously going to ask such an idiotic question' look on his face.

'Um…to get some clothes, toothbrush, maybe a bag for all of it. That's usually what one takes when they're not really sure how long they're going to be away from home Elena,' he replied.

Elena couldn't help but smile at his cocky comment happy to see that his old self was not entirely lost. She chewed on her lip knowing she was going to kill whatever bit of his old self was still left inside of him.

'You don't need clothes. We'll uh…we'll stop and get everything we need along the way.' Elena replied, smiling slightly and began moving in the direction of her car again.

Damon frowned and stood his ground causing Elena to stop walking.

'Elena what aren't you….'

Damon suddenly cut off a look of sickening disgust and pain painting itself across his face. Elena knew that with his sense of hearing he must have finally picked up on what was going on in the house. Elena couldn't hear anything but she didn't want to. What she had seen and heard _in_ the house was enough for her. Damon's eyes focused on her and he nodded his head.

'You're right; we'll get things along the way.'

Damon marched off towards the car, tugging Elena along with him, making it feel as though he was going to yank her arm right out of its socket. He opened the door for her and hurried her inside the car. He slammed the door shut making Elena jump slightly. Within seconds he was in the driver's side, his hands gripping the steering wheel.

'Elena I need the keys,' he said through gritted teeth.

Elena fumbled to find the keys. She knew she had put them somewhere.

'Elena…keys…_now!_' Damon growled the final word, his chest heaving slightly. It looked like he was about to be sick.

Elena finally found the keys and handed them to Damon. He started the engine and screeched out of the drive, racing off down the dark road and heading straight out of Mystic Falls. Elena's heart was pounding as she watched him while he drove. She really had never seen Damon like this and it…it frightened her a little, making her regret for just a few moments the decision to leave Mystic Falls. She drew in a breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm herself down and tell herself that this was the right thing, that this is what they needed and that she needed to be there for Damon just as much as he needed to be there for her.

Damon couldn't get the noises he had heard out of his head, even though he _knew_ he was far enough away _not_ to pick up on them anymore he still had them echoing in his head. He was hoping that the sound of the roaring engine would drown them out, he even turned up the music a little louder to try and drown them out but they just wouldn't go away. He was driving faster and faster hoping the speed would blow them away but for some reason they just seemed to make them get louder. Elena clung to her seat, watching the lines on the road blur by and jumped slightly in her seat when the music began to blare in the car. She looked over at Damon, a look of serious concentration etched onto the features of his face.

'Damon, you need to slow down!' she yelled over the music.

'No I need to go faster! I need to get them out of my head!' he growled back, tightening his grip on the wheel.

Fear took over Elena as he began to race down the street faster, tears began to well up in her eyes her chest rising and falling with each breath she took. She looked out the window, then at Damon then back out the window over and over again.

'Damon slow down please!' Elena begged again.

'Elena I need them out of my head!'

'Yeah well you're going to end up killing _me_ in the process if you continue driving so fast and have an accident Damon!' She yelled out.

Damon looked at her, snapping out of his own torment at the site of the fear in her eyes. Damon brought the car to a sudden stop on the side of the road causing Elena to lunge forward slightly. She drew in heavy breaths, closing her eyes, trying to just calm herself down. Damon turned slightly in his seat.

'Elena I'm sorry…I…I really am.' Damon cursed himself silently for being such an idiot. If they had an accident Damon would probably be the only one to walk out of it alive and she would be gone. The thought sent a cold shiver racing down his spine. He shook it away, he couldn't imagine his life without Elena, not right now because he needed her around. She was the only one that understood what he was going through.

'It's okay Damon. I get it.' She looked at him finally. 'Remember we're in the exact same boat.'

'Yeah but you wouldn't be driving like a maniac.'

Elena smiled and looked down. 'No I probably would be too,' she looked up at him. 'Only difference is I probably would have landed myself in an accident by now. I'm just a simple human after all.'

'Still, I should have been thinking…'

Damon's sentence stopped short when Elena moved over a little and cupped his face in her hands.

'Damon, stop apologizing. I understand. You don't really think when you're hurting and when your heart is pretty much a shattered mess. You run on pure emotions, nothing else. Logic goes right out the window Damon.'

Damon frowned slightly before letting out a sigh and nodding. He wasn't going to argue with her on this. He knew she was right. But he still felt terrible about not thinking that he had a human in the car with him, and a human who meant a great deal to him. Elena leaned in and placed a soft kiss on his forehead, making Damon's eyes widen slightly.

'Now come on, let's get going, only this time, take it slow,' Elena said as she sat back, fastening her seat belt.

Damon nodded and then turned back in his seat, pulled off the side of the road and set off once more at a more reasonable speed, this kiss she had placed on his forehead still making his skin seem to tingle, making just that spot feel very warm.


	5. You're Dead To MeLet the Fun Begin

Damon continued to drive along the empty road heading towards Georgia once more. They had had such a good time there, a part from him _almost _getting killed. He figured that maybe another visit there would help them both through this.

Damon glanced over at Elena, watching her for a moment as she slept on the seat next to him. She had fallen asleep a little over an hour ago. Even as she slept Damon noticed a slight frown on her face and he didn't like it. He could only _imagine _what was running through her mind right now. He turned his gaze back to the road as he thought about everything that had happened so far. She actually witnessed the beginnings of what _he_ had heard and even if he felt that hearing them was bad enough he was thankful that he didn't have to _see_ them. He only wished Elena had been so lucky. Damon opened the window a little to let the cool night air in, noticing it becoming lighter outside as he continued towards their destination.

Damon let out a sigh as his mind came to a decision once and for all. He was determined to have fun on this little trip to Georgia and he was determined to help Elena have as much fun as he did. They both needed this because this is what would help them get through all of this. This was their time out from their lives back in Mystic Falls and in their time out they would not think once about their problems back home and they would not even discuss them. As of right now Katherine was completely and utterly dead to him in every possible emotional way. She had broken him down for the last time and now he felt absolutely nothing for her. He wanted nothing to do with her ever again and if she even tried so much as to look in his direction with some flirty little look he'd snap her neck in a second. That is how much he loathed her. A low growl escaped him as he thought about Katherine. Damon shook his head slightly and swallowed, trying to let the anger subside because anger was just as strong an emotion as love and he wanted to feel absolutely nothing for Katherine because she didn't deserve to even have him hate her with such a passion.

Damon's thoughts moved from Katherine and over to Elena and when they did he immediately felt calmer. Damon glanced over at Elena one more time and reached over to run a finger over her forehead, smoothing out the frown. At his touch Elena let out a soft sigh and snuggled further down beneath her jacket that Damon had placed over her when she had fallen asleep. Damon smiled slightly when he noticed the frown was gone. Damon wondered what there would be for them to do in Georgia. He needed something big to happen there, not just a few drinks at a bar. As it grew lighter outside so did Damon's mood. The more he sat and thought about Elena and their trip away the better he felt. Damon chuckled softly to himself and shook his head. He was always amazed at just how much better Elena made him feel. No matter how pissed off Damon was or how hurt Damon was, Elena always managed to make him feel better. A simple smile from her, a few words or even a hug was all it took to snap Damon right out of any kind of foul mood he may be in. It always amazed him and he could never quite understand _why_ she could do what no one else could…well he never understood that until of course he came to realize how he felt about Elena. Isobel had picked up on those feelings and of course let the entire world know basically. Of course Damon had simply pushed all thoughts about those feelings for Elena aside when Katherine had returned to Mystic Falls. He should have known better than to try and get back with her. He should have known that she would simply shatter whatever was left of his heart. _There you go again Damon, thinking about the little bitch. Stop it! You told yourself that she was dead to you so start thinking like that!_ Damon cursed himself for thinking about her.

Elena's eyes fluttered opened and she looked around, frowning slightly as she tried to gather her thoughts and make out where she was. She stretched slightly beneath the jacket and looked over to find Damon, his usual smirk firmly in place and it made her smile slightly.

'Good morning.'

Elena sat up and rubbed her eyes before stifling a yawn. 'And a good morning to you too,' she replied as she looked out her window, absent-mindedly running a hand through her hair.

'Do you know that you snore like a buzz saw when you're sleeping? I almost lost control of the car when you started.' Damon said his smirk becoming even more etched into his features.

Elena rolled her eyes and shook her head. 'Yeah, whatever Damon. You and I both know I _don't _snore when I sleep.'

Damon chuckled softly. 'Well you just know me far too well Miss Gilbert, which is becoming _very_ annoying.'

Elena looked at Damon and smiled for a moment before frowning slightly, a serious look covering her face.

'How…how are you doing?'

Damon waved a finger at Elena. 'Uh, uh, uh, no talking about that; as of right now _they_ are dead to us. They don't exist and we are not going to think about them, talk about them and we are definitely not going to mention their names because once we do, it's all just going to come flooding back and you and I are here to escape all that, to have fun and to just…forget about it all,' Damon said with a sigh. 'So stop thinking about them entirely and start thinking about what we are going to do first.'

Elena opened her mouth to protest but closed it again, letting out a sigh of giving in to his wishes. Elena didn't really like _not_ talking about something that she felt needed to be talked out but Damon was right about this.

'Well I suppose the first thing we need to do is stop off at a store, get some fresh clothes and all of that, then get something to eat and after that,' Elena shrugged, 'well we'll see what we can find to do around here.'

Damon nodded. 'Yes Ma'am!' Damon saluted Elena, making her laugh a little.

Damon smiled at the sound of her laugh, it was good to hear her laugh and he was happy that he was able to make her laugh. He was so sure that she would just be serious and try to get him to talk it all out. He was so sure she would have devised this whole 'trip away from our problems' to sit and talk about their problems over a few drinks. But she hadn't at all. She had agreed to forget all about it and now she had resigned herself to having fun with him. Damon pulled into a parking outside of a store. Elena ran her hands through her hair once more before getting out of the car, pulling on her jacket after she closed the door. Damon came to her side as they headed onto the side walk and made their way towards the store. As they neared the entrance a young boy handed them both a flyer.

'What's this?' Elena asked the boy.

'Street party about two block away tonight. It's going to be a lot of fun.'

Elena read the flyer and smiled. She looked up at Damon just as he looked down at her.

'Let me guess, you want to go to this party?' Elena asked, seeing the glimmer in Damon's eyes.

'Well let's just say that _I _feel we need something a little more_ entertaining_ than a few drinks and a game of pool at a bar.'

Elena sighed and looked down at the flyer once more, chewing on her bottom lip. Elena of late was not really one for going to parties. Elena looked at Damon again and she could see the pleading tone in his eyes even if he didn't say anything, she could see it.

'Alright, we'll go.'

Damon grinned at her. 'Great! Trust me, we're going to need this and we're going to have one hell of a time. Parties with me are _a lot_ of fun,' Damon said, winking at her before grabbing her hand and pulling her into the store.

Elena rolled her eyes as she let herself be led away. 'I don't have to help you hide bodies or anything like that at this party do I?'

Damon stopped and pretended to think for a moment. 'Mmmm…. Nope probably not. I'm a big boy Elena, if I need to hide bodies I'll be quite capable of doing that on my own. Now come on, we need clothes.'

Elena sighed and followed him, parting ways when he went off to the men's section and she to the ladies.

Elena browsed through the clothes, picking out a few pairs of jeans and a few tops, throwing them over one arm as she continued to look through the clothes. She moved from the clothes to the lingerie, looking through the lot for underwear and bras. She picked up a plain white bra and held it up to look it over.

'Well personally I prefer something that's black lace but I'll make do with that choice.'

Elena jumped and fumbled to keep the bra in her hands, feeling her face flush red slightly.

'Damon don't sneak up on me like that,' Elena snapped at him before hitting him on the arm. 'And I don't care what you like. Besides this is _underwear_ Damon which means it goes under the clothes and you won't be seeing me in that any time soon.'

Damon smirked and raised a brow ' But there is a chance that I'll see you in it someday then?'

Elena swallowed and felt her face flush even more, stuttering her words trying to get out her jumbled thoughts.

Damon rolled his eyes and chuckled. 'Relax Elena, I was only kidding with you.' Damon shook his head. 'You 're just too cute when you stutter your words.'

Elena shook her head and turned back to the underwear grabbing one or two bras and a few choices of underwear before turning back to Damon.

'Okay let's go.'

Damon grabbed Elena's shoulder and turned her back to him.

'You're not seriously going to be wearing jeans and a top to our little evening out are you?' Damon asked looking down at the clothing and then back at Elena.

Elena looked down and then met his gaze, shrugging slightly. 'It's what I always wear when I go out.'

Damon sighed and shook his head. 'Yeah it's what you _used_ to wear when you were hanging around with Saints,' Damon replied with a smirk. 'Let's get you something more along the lines of _ my_ taste seeing as you wont comply to my taste as far as your lingerie goes.'

'Damon what…'

'No arguing,' Damon replied, taking Elena's arm and leading her back to the women's section, scanning through the clothes. A young sales lady came over asking if he needed assistance.

'Yeah, I'm looking for something for my lovely lady over here. I need something that oozes sex appeal, gives off a hint of the bad girl but doesn't tell others she's loose. I want people to look at her and really desire her but it must be something that says she's not available, something that tells them she's dressed like that for one man and one man only and it is definitely not them.'

Elena's mouth hung open a little at his entire description and she looked at the sales lady to see if she was just as dumb founded as she was but to her dismay the lady looked as though she knew _exactly_ what he was looking for.

'I have a few things in store. Miss, if you'll come with me.'

The lady walked off and Elena looked at Damon.

'Damon this is really not necessary. I'm not going to be comfortable in anything you pick out for me to wear,' she hissed at him.

Damon looked at Elena, serious as stone. 'Now, now Elena, learn to live a little and let others help you out. Besides, you can't know you won't be comfortable in anything _I_ pick out until you actually try it on.'

' Let me rephrase that, I won't be comfortable in anything _you_ pick out because I'm not comfortable looking like a complete tart and airhead all in one outfit.'

Damon frowned slightly. 'Elena, I know you're none of those things, so will you just trust me with this and trust the lady. She's not going to dress you like that. Besides,' Damon smirked once more, 'you'll be modeling it for me so I'll get to decide on it. Now go.'

Damon pushed Elena towards the lady, taking her clothes from her and setting them down as the lady led Elena away. Damon looked down at the lingerie and shook his head.

'Some of this really has to go.'

He moved back to the lingerie section, picking out a few selections of his own, images of Elena in them flashing in his head.

_Now, now Damon no thinking about Elena in that way. You're just friends, she's made that very clear so don't go and ruin all of that now with dirty little thoughts. You're both here to have fun and forget about the problems at home so just focus on that and nothing else. _

Damon sighed and shook away the thoughts, walking back to her clothes and placing the lingerie down. Damon took a seat and waited patiently for Elena to come out in whatever outfit the sales lady had planned first.

The lady grabbed a few items off from their respective places and handed them to Elena before leading her into a change room.

'Now I think your boyfriend will _love_ this one.'

Elena looked at the lady and shook her head, laughing a little.

'Oh um…Damon isn't my boyfriend. He's just a friend.'

The sales lady looked at Elena for a moment and then chuckles softly.

'Well the way he looks at you seems to paint a totally different picture to me but…I'll take your word for it.'

The sales lady handed the first item to Elena and then disappeared out of the change room. Elena stared at the closed door for a moment, frowned slightly and then shook her head before getting undressed. She slipped on a tight fitting black dress that sat just above her knees. She looked herself over in the mirror and sighed.

'This really is _not_ me,' she muttered to herself before sitting down the bench to slip on the stiletto heels that the lady had left there.

Elena stood up, drew in a deep breath and then let it out slowly before opening the door and stepping out slowly. The sales lady was standing talking to Damon and the sight of that just seemed to make Elena's blood boil. She swallowed, shook the feeling aside and made her way to them.

'Well here's the first choice.'

Damon looked from the sales lady to Elena, tilting his head to the side, eyes narrowed slightly as they roamed over her slowly, taking in the out fit.

'Hmmmm,' Damon stood up and walked over to Elena, circling her. 'Nope, no good; I mean it's a nice dress but too formal for a street party. Got something else?'

He asked the lady.

'Street party outfit coming right up.' She took Elena's hand and led her away again, grabbed afew more items and placed her back in the change room.

'So you're going to the street party tonight, mind if I steal your friend for a little while?' The lady said, looking over to Damon.

Elena's eyes narrowed slightly.

'Yes I do mind actually…' Elena bit her tongue to stop the rest of that sentence coming out. Why the hell should _she_ care about some girl wanting to steal Damon away for a while? She'd probably just end up being his snack for the night in any case.

The lady looked at Elena for a moment and then a sly smile crossed her lips.

'I'm sorry, I simply thought you were just friends. I guess you're a little more than that. It's okay, I'll keep my hands to myself I promise.'

The lady disappeared, leaving Elena to get dressed, all the time she thoughts about why she had done that. They _were_ just friends. She cared about Damon but as a friend, nothing more. Elena slipped on the short black skirt, grabbed the boob-tube type corset top, fastening the clasps on the back and doing up the strings in the front until it sat snugly on her. She sat down and slipped on the black stiletto boots and grabbed the choker and other accessories that the lady had picked out for her, slipping them on too. All the while Elena had not really paid much attention to what she was actually putting on and didn't even take a look in the mirror before stepping out. She walked over to where Damon sat, flipping through a magazine and stopped in front of him.

'Outfit number two Damon and yet again it's something I won't feel comfortable in.'

Damon looked up, his mouth hanging open slightly and his eyes widening as they roamed over her.

Elena frowned at his expression.

'Okay if you have _that_ expression then it's definitely something I won't want to wear.'

She turned around and began heading back to the change room. Damon grabbed her arm and pulled her over to a full length mirror.

'Look at yourself first before making that decision,' he whispered into her ear before standing back.

Elena looked at him over her shoulder and then at herself in the mirror. She gasped slightly as she looked herself over. She almost didn't recognize herself. She looked completely different and yet there was a glimmer of her old self there. She felt strangely comfortable in the complete black outfit and, in a way, very sexy. She didn't look like a slut or a complete airhead in any way, just like Damon said.

Damon stood one side and looked Elena over. He couldn't believe how….sexy she looked. The whole outfit just set off the sex appeal he knew she had hidden beneath her sweet wholesome ways. He folded his arms over his chest, a smug smirk sitting firmly in place. Elena caught the look on his face and sighed.

'Fine, you win. I'll admit...it looks good and…I do feel comfortable in it.'

Damon simply flashed her a ' I told you so' smile and then walked over to her again.

'Right, so get changed, bring the clothes and let's go find somewhere to stay.'

Elena headed off to the change room again, slipping her clothes back on and placing the outfit carefully back on a hanger. She picked up the hanger, boots and her bag before heading back to Damon who had her clothes and his own draped over his arm.

'Let's go and pay for all of this.'

Elena nodded and followed behind. She set the things down on the counter and looked around as the things were being cashed up. The cashier read out the total and Elena rummaged through her bag to find her purse.

'What are you doing?'

'Looking for my purse to pay Damon, what does it look like I'm doing?' she said, frowning as she concentrated on finding it.

'Here is your card sir,' the young gentleman said as he handed Damon his credit card back. Elena's head snapped up, looking at the card then at Damon.

'Damon…'

'Elena…' Damon replied, signing off the slip, grabbing the bags and heading for the door.

Elena hurried after him. 'Why did you do that?'

'Because I can and because you were taking far too long to get your purse out that black hole of bag,' Damon replied flashing her a smile.

Elena sighed. 'Damon I wanted to pay for my own clothes,' Elena mumbled.

'Well I'll tell you what, you can buy your very own toothbrush and hair brush and whatever else you want to get toiletries wise. Now come on, I need to get my cologne.'

Damon headed down the street and entered a store, heading over to the designer colognes.

'Okay I am so not buying you your designer cologne Damon,' Elena said as she looked at the selection, her eyes widening at the prices.

'I said you could buy toiletries Elena, _this_ is something I do not consider as a toiletry. Deodorant is a toiletry.'

Elena rolled her eyes. 'Fine, whatever just hurry up. I'm starving.'

Elena walked over to the ladies perfumes and began looking through them.

Damon found his brand of cologne and then turned to head over to Elena. He looked her over for a moment. He couldn't believe how she had looked earlier in the clothes store and his mind began to wander once again. Suddenly the idea of her being dressed like that didn't seem like such a good idea. It didn't seem like such a wise idea anymore because he _knew_ where his mind would go with its thoughts and his body usually tended to follow those thoughts and that was _not_ what Elena would want and it wouldn't be such a wise idea for him to go down that road either. He would lose Elena's friendship which was extremely important to him and he didn't want to go down that path because he didn't want Elena just to be some rebound girl and given the current circumstances that is _exactly _what it would look like. Damon let out a long sigh before walking over to her.

'Not that one,' he said to her as she inhaled the scent of a perfume that was just far too strong as far as Damon was concerned.

Elena set the bottle down and looked at him. 'Why not, I think it smelled pretty nice.'

Damon shook his head.

'It's too strong and too…immature a scent. It's something I'd imagine an air head or a tart to wear. It has the scent of cheap laced all over it.'

Elena looked away and moved her eyes over the bottles once more.

'Well then seeing as you're the expert in clothes let's see your skills work on designer perfumes then,' Elena replied, smiling up at Damon.

Damon returned the smile with a smirk and glanced down at the perfumes. He picked up a tall, elegant looking bottle and inhaled the scent. He closed his eyes as the scent enveloped his senses. He let out a soft sigh and handed the bottle to her.

'This one is more… you.'

Elena took the bottle and sprayed a little onto her wrist before taking in its scent. It was soft, subtle but with a hint of power to it, a hint of a sexy undertone to it. Elena looked at Damon.

'Why this perfume, Damon?' she asked, wanting to hear just how well he seemed to know her.

'It's soft, has a slightly sweet smell which goes so well the wholesome and good side of you but it also isn't too subtle, it has a hint of power to it which is you as well. People may think you're unable to cope with things due to that goody-goody side of you but you're strong Elena. You can handle anything that is thrown at you and you've proven it time and time again. There's also a…sexy and seductive tone to it which I think will go well with the outfit choice for the party…and also it's a part of you that many, I'm sure, have never seen not even St…'

Damon cut off and looked away from her, clearing his throat. Elena felt her heart racing. She didn't realize just how _well _Damon seemed to know her. Hell, it seemed that Damon seemed to see sides of Elena that she didn't even _know_ she had. Elena swallowed hard, feeling her cheeks flush a bright red as she looked down at the tester bottle.

'Um…okay well…I guess I'll get it,' she whispered, setting the bottle down, finding a boxed bottle of perfume and picking it up. 'Thanks.'

'No problem,' Damon replied and looked at her a slight smile on his lips. 'Look there's a cosmetics counter over there if you want to get make-up or whatever.'

'Uh, yeah thanks.'

Elena made her way to the cosmetics section and began to look through the make-up.

Damon stood one side and began to give himself an internal lecture about behaving himself, to stop feeling like this and to focus on having a good time with a _friend_ nothing more and yet some part of him just had this nagging feeling that that wasn't what was going to happen on their little trip away.


	6. Don't Be Like That Pumpkin

Finally all the shopping was done and a light meal had been eaten at a restaurant for lunch. Damon pulled up to a small Guest House that he had overheard a couple talking about whilst they had been at the restaurant. It was just down the road from where the party would be which meant they wouldn't have to worry about driving tonight.

An elderly lady came through to the reception area, greeting them both with a warm smile. Elena looked around the place, loving the warm, homey feel it had to it.

'Hello dears,' the lady said. 'My name is Pamela. Welcome.'

'Thank you,' Elena said smiling warmly at Pamela.

Pamela looked at Elena first then at Damon.

'Ah it is so lovely to see such young love. It really does brighten my day. Now I have a beautiful room that all the young couples love to stay in,' Pamela said as she moved over to a rack on her wall containing all the room keys.

Elena looked at Damon, as usual a smug smirk on his face, and then back at Pamela.

'Oh, no Pamela, um…we're not a…'

Damon slipped his arm around Elena's shoulders and pulled her close to him.

'Oh come now Pumpkin don't be like that,' Damon said, his smirk growing wider before he turned his gaze to Pamela who came walking back with the key, a broad smile on her face as she saw Elena locked in Damon's arms.

Damon took the key, placed it in his pocket and then signed off the paper work, his arm never moving from around Elena who stared at him still in shock, her senses assaulted by the heavenly smell of his cologne, making it harder and harder for her to want to punch him in the stomach to make him let her go.

'Thank you Pamela, I'm sure we'll _love_ the room,' Damon said before turning both him and Elena around, grabbing the bags and heading up the stairs to the next landing.

As soon as they were out of sight Elena punched Damon as best she could in his stomach. It didn't do much damage to him but it made him remove his arm.

'Now what was that for?' he asked, rubbing his stomach a little, a look of mock pain on his face.

'Why the hell didn't you get _two_ rooms Damon?' Elena hissed low to him, looking over her shoulder to make sure that Pamela or anyone else wasn't around. 'The last _I_ checked _we_ weren't a couple.'

Damon reached into his pocked at pulled out the key to unlock the door.

'Well no we're not but I really couldn't disappoint the sweet old lady, Elena,' Damon replied.

Elena narrowed her eyes at him. 'Damon, you don't really give a damn about _who _you disappoint, least of all sweet old ladies,' Elena snapped, shaking her head. 'You were just using it to get _one_ room instead of two. Still the same old Damon,' Elena replied with a sigh as Damon opened the door.

Elena stepped inside and gasped slightly as she looked around the large, spacious room. Across the room there was a tall window, draped with deep red velvet curtains. To the left there was a door that led to a spacious bathroom. A large Jacuzzi type tub was situated in the corner, across from it a large shower and next to the shower a beautiful basin. Elena made her way out of the bathroom and scanned the room once more. The bed was big and exquisite, like something out of the days of Kings and Queens. Drapes that were pulled back on either side matched the deep red colour of the curtains. Elena was completely awe struck by the beauty of this room. Damon watched her as he set the bags down. He leaned against the wall and folded his arms across his chest, head tilted to the side.

'Shall I go tell her you would like a room of your own, pumpkin?' Damon asked, smirking.

Elena turned and looked at him, shaking her head.

'No point in disappointing the lady now Damon and besides,' Elena looked around, 'I'll put up with sharing a room with you simply because it's so beautiful.' Elena looked back at Damon. 'But you make sure to stay on _your_ side of the bed and stop calling me Pumpkin.'

Damon stepped away from the wall, grabbing the bag that had all the toiletries and so forth in it, walked past Elena and headed to the bathroom.

'Whatever you say…Pumpkin,' Damon whispered the last word.

Elena picked up a pillow off one of the chairs next to the window and threw it at Damon but it came into contact with the dark wooden door of the bathroom. Elena shook her head, letting out a sigh. _Just breathe Elena. It's Damon, this is what he does. He enjoys getting under your skin and irritating the hell out of you. You should know that by now. _ Elena sat down on one of the chairs and slipped off her shoes before sitting back in it and closing her eyes as she enjoyed the last few rays of sunshine. Her mind began to wander once more about why everyone kept thinking they were a couple. _First there was the girl at the clothing store. I didn't like her one bit though because she just seemed to reek of cheap perfume and had SKANK in big bold letters tattooed across her forehead. Well it was a tattoo only I could see but it was there and Damon is far too good to have someone like that running after him. Then there was the lady at the cosmetics counter who commented on how lucky I was to have such a good looking boyfriend. Thankfully nothing was said at the restaurant…but then again a look can speak a thousand words and there was a young couple just across from us. They looked at us with approving nods, their hands laced together across their table. Then of course Pamela here at the Guest House talking about seeing such 'young love'; If she only knew how old Damon was she'd probably re-think that statement. I know that Damon has…or had feelings for me but I thought with Katherine coming back all of that would have disappeared. I figured he only really showed interest because of the fact that I looked like her. _

Elena ran a hand through her hair and sat forward, a frown on her face, wondering why the hell she cared about this so damn much. It was Damon for Pete's sake. The thoughts came flooding forward into her mind before she could stop them. _Don't be so blind and stupid all your life Elena. Damon may have found you interesting at first because you looked like Katherine but don't you think he fell in love with you because of how different you were from her? You truly cared about him. You gained his trust and have not broken it once since then, you begged him to get out of the tomb because you were afraid of losing him. You're the one woman who never fell to his charming ways which only made you that much more desirable. Even though there have been moments when you've hated him, deep down you've always known it would never last because you care about him far too much to hate him. Just face it Elena….You…love…him. You're fighting something that you shouldn't be fighting and for what Elena? Scared of loving the big, bad Salvatore brother? Scared that you'd be sitting comparing him to Stefan all the time? What's there to compare Elena? They're two completely different people so their love for you and your love for them will differ completely as well. _Elena shook her head furiously to get the thoughts away. She would _not_ think about all of this now, she would not make a decision to accept the fact that _maybe_ she did love Damon on more than a 'just friends' level. She had just found out her current boyfriend was actually still in love with his past flame who just so happened to be Damon's past flame too. This was no time to be jumping into such thoughts about Damon because Elena was in no right frame of mind to be thinking about things like that. She buried the thoughts away, along with ones of Stefan and Katherine because they were supposed to be completely and utterly dead to her and Damon.

Elena stood up and hurried over to the bags with the clothes, deciding to busy herself with unpacking her things. Just as she emptied the bag out onto the bed the bathroom door opened.

'Okay all your things are neatly packed away where they need to be,' Damon said as he exited the bathroom, placing the empty bag in the corner before walking over to Elena.

Elena busied herself with folding the clothes that needed to be folded, avoiding Damon's gaze as much as she could. Damon of course picked up on this and frowned slightly.

'Is…everything alright Elena?'

Elena swallowed and looked up at him, giving her best 'fake' smile that she could.

'Of course everything is okay,'

Damon narrowed his eyes slightly, not buying her attempt to seem alright for one second but deciding to leave it at that. Damon nodded and let out a sigh.

'Okay, well um I'm going to take a bit of a nap before tonight. I suggest you do the same,' he said sitting down on the edge of the bed and kicking off his shoes before slipping off his jacket and tossing it onto the chair. Damon lay down on the bed, yawned a little and then got a little more comfortable.

'I can't promise that I'll keep to _my_ side of the bed but I can promise that I'll _try_ to,' Damon said with a smirk before lying his head back down on the pillow.

Elena rolled her eyes and continued to fold the clothes and pack them away, her mind still focusing on its earlier thoughts so much so that she did not even notice the lingerie selections she had made had been replaced. Elena finished with the unpacking, drew in a deep breath and then let it out slowly. Damon was right. She did need to get some sleep, even if it felt like her mind was far too active to even think of sleep at the moment. Elena moved over to the bed quietly, watching Damon as she lay down on the bed; he was fast asleep. Elena pulled a blanket over her and turned to lie on her side, her back to Damon. She stared at the wall for what seemed forever and she was just about to give up on the attempt to sleep when finally her mind gave in to her body's need to rest and she fell asleep quickly.

Elena sat up quickly her breathing heavy, her hair clinging to her face due to the thin layer of sweat that had formed. She swallowed a few times as she looked around the dimly lit room, trying to get a hold of where she was. She let out a sigh when she realized where she was and ran a hand through her hair, closing her eyes as she tried to slow her racing heart. The images of her dream were still clear as day in her mind and she tried her best to shake them away. Thanks to her mind focusing on her feelings so much her dreams were naturally filled with rather intense images of her and Damon in the bed. They scared her awake and not because she didn't _enjoy_ what she had been dreaming about but because she did and she now felt apart of her wishing those images had been more than a simple dream. She drew in a staggered breath and shuddered slightly as a chill of pleasure raced up her back. Elena frowned slightly and looked over to Damon's side of the bed to find he was not there. She looked around the empty room and then heard the shower go off. She let out a sigh and then got up off the bed, looking at the clock on the bed side table. She had about an hour to get ready for the party so Elena took out her clothes for the evening. She moved over to the chest of drawers and opened the top drawer to get out her lingerie.

Elena picked up a black lace push up bra and a black lace pair of underwear that matched.

'DAMON!'

'You know I expected to be hearing you scream my name like that but in a _completely_ different tone,' Damon said from right behind her making Elena jump.

Elena turned around and her anger at him suddenly fizzled out when she was met with a set on intense blue eyes staring at her through a mass of tangled dark wet hair, a sly smirk on a perfect set of lips and a bare chest, glistening slightly in the dim light. Elena snapped her eyes back up to look at Damon, swallowing hard and trying to regain her composure despite her racing heart, her blood seeming to boil in every vein and her tongue feeling completely tied up. Elena cleared her throat and held up the underwear.

'I _told_ you that you had no decision over my lingerie Damon.'

Damon shrugged. 'You'll thank me later, trust me,' Damon replied winking at her before walking over to his side of the room to get his clothes. Elena watched him as he walked away, the scent of his body wash still hanging in the air in front of her. Elena closed her eyes for a moment to slow her sudden shallow breathing before looking down at the lingerie. She rolled her eyes, grabbed her clothes, boots and make-up bag before heading into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. She turned on the shower, got undressed and climbed in beneath the warm spray of water. She pressed her forehead against the wall as she felt herself calming down, her muscles relaxing a little more. She grabbed her sponge and the body wash she had picked out and began to wash up, making sure to wash her hair as well before she got out and began her routine of drying off and getting ready.

Elena finished up with drying her hair before she got dressed into her outfit for the party. She sat on the edge of the bath and slipped on her boots before standing up and walking back over to the basin and placing on her ear rings, bangles and finally beautiful black choker. Elena grabbed her brush and rummaged through a draw to find the clips and elastic band for her hair that she had bought. Elena pulled her hair back into a ponytail before clipping it all up, leaving only a few strands here and there to hang loose. She grabbed her make-up bag and began to do her make-up. Once she was done, Elena looked herself over and was quite shocked at the image she saw reflected back. She never wore anything like this, never did her make-up like this. She was simple, she was good and wholesome usually. Right at this moment she recalled the movie 'Grease' and felt just like Sandra-Dee; she went from being the good, wholesome sweet girl that she new she had always been to looking like the bad-ass Sandy at the end of the movie. What surprised her most was just how comfortable she seemed to feel looking like this. Elena shook her head slightly and reached over to grab her perfume bottle; she sprayed a little onto her wrists and then onto her neck; first one side and then the other before setting the bottle down.

'Here goes nothing,' Elena whispered to herself as her mind wondered just how Damon would react to seeing her like this.

Damon sat on the edge of the bed and put on his shoes. His choice of clothing for the evening as always was a pair of black pants, a long sleeve black button up shirt, the sleeves rolled up to sit just below his elbows and, as usual he would be wearing his leather jacket. Damon stood up and went to stand by the window, looking out, watching a few cars drive by, hearing a few people chatting and laughing as they head towards the party. A small smile crosses Damon's lips as he recalls Elena's racing heart from earlier. Damon closed his eyes as he recalled the sound and the feel of her warm breath against his skin as her breath became a little shallow. Elena may have been good at resisting his charming ways that other women never could, but there were times that her body gave away just how she felt sometimes around him. That was something she could never hide from Damon, but he never brought it up because he valued her friendship; he would rather have her in his life as a friend than not have her in it at all. _Damon why the hell are you thinking about things like this now? It's meant to be about having fun and forgetting problems, not trying to seduce Elena or go jumping into the locked up feelings you have for her! Focus! _Damon growled low in frustration. He knew that was what he was supposed to be doing here but he honestly wasn't feeling anymore pain, he had forgotten all about that and it was all simply because he was here with Elena. They had had a great day together, had an awful lot of people thinking they were a couple which _really_ made Damon's day, especially when they arrived at the Guest House. He loved getting under Elena's skin and irritating her at times because she always had some snarky little comment to shoot back at him. He enjoyed their banter. Damon let out a sigh and looked at the clock on the bed side table. Damon turned and grabbed his jacket, slipping it on.

'Elena you almost….'

His words caught in the back of his throat, his eyes widening as he saw Elena standing in the doorway of the bathroom. He could hear her heart was racing but she was completely composed. Damon's eyes moved over her slowly. He looked at the way the black stiletto boots hugged her legs, his eyes moving up over the soft skin of her legs that was exposed, further up to the black skirt that she wore. He moved his eyes up slowly over the black corset that left just a little of her stomach exposed, his eyes moving over her bare shoulders and arms, up to her neck that was adorned with a black choker, making it more appealing that ever, her hair up in a sexy yet simple style, her lips glistening slightly in the dim light, her brown eyes seeming to stand out even more than usual and the scent of her perfume filling the air. Damon could feel his own chest rising and falling heavily as he finished his scan of her and bit back a low growl as he suddenly began to feel very protective of her.

Elena watched Damon, a small smile crossing her lips. Damon always had something to say, always had some comment to pass so it was quite entertaining for her to see him completely dumbfounded. Elena looked herself over and held out her arms before looking back at Damon.

'So, what do you think?'

Damon cleared his throat and shook his head slightly trying to regain his composure.

'It uh….it looks good on you,' Damon said with a smirk on his face. 'I told you it would. You should learn to trust me a little more Elena.'

Elena rolled her eyes and she walked over to the cupboard and grabbed a long black jacket, pulling it on.

'Okay, okay fine, I will admit that you were right about it.'

'I'm sorry, could you repeat that? Did Elena Gilbert just say I was right?'

Elena laughed and turned to look at him.

'Yes I did but don't get used to it. Now come on let's go.'

She grabbed the key to their room, placing it in her pocket, opened the door and headed out into the hallway, waiting for Damon to follow her. Damon appeared out in the hallway a few moments later. Elena locked the door of their room and made her way towards the stairs, descending them slowly, Damon close at her side. Pamela came around the corner and smiled at them.

'Going out I see? You do look absolutely gorgeous dear,' Pamela said to Elena as she looked her over before turning her attention to Damon. 'I'd keep her close young man, looking that beautiful she is bound to grab the attention of many of the young men around here.'

Damon placed his arm firmly around Elena's waist pulling her closer to him, causing Elena's heart to race a little faster which only made Damon smirk.

'Oh don't worry Pamela I intend to keep her real close to me,' he replied looking at Elena. 'I won't be letting her out of my sight. Don't want anything happening to her, she means far too much to me,' Damon's voice lowered slightly as he said the last bit, the smirk disappearing as his expression became serious. Elena felt her breathing hitch slightly at the seriousness of those words and her cheeks flushed slightly too, her eyes never leaving his, feeling herself wrapped in a world that consisted of no one else but her and Damon.

'Well I'd glad to hear that now you two run along and have a good time.'

Elena snapped her head in the direction of Pamela's voice, pulling her out of her own little world. She smiled slightly.

'Um…thank you,' Elena replied before pulling herself away from Damon and heading to the door.

Damon smiled at Pamela as he passed her and followed close behind Elena.

Elena took in a deep breath of the cool night air before letting it out slowly. She placed her hands in her pocket, slowing her breathing and calming her racing heart. Damon appeared at Elena's side and looked at her.

'Are you ready to party?' Damon asked, his usual smirk once again firmly in place.

Elena smiled and nodded.

'Yes I am.'

'Right this way then,' Damon replied holding his arm out to her. Elena looked at it and then slide her hand through the loop, locking her arm firmly in with his own as they walked down the road towards the sound of the music. Elena did her best to try and be her usual self but she just couldn't get the look on Damon's face and those words out of her head. They were on a constant loop.

She knew this was going to affect her mood the entire night and she _knew_ that she was losing in the raging battle between the side of her that didn't want to admit she loved Damon and the part of her that did.


	7. Street Party

**A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews I have been getting. Just a quick note on the last two chapters I have posted. Chapter Five, most of the creativeness came from listening to two songs on constant repeat for the first half of that chapter and they were 'Don't Stay' and 'Somewhere I Belong' by Linkin Park. **

**Chapter Six, from where Elena looks at herself in the mirror to the part where Damon sees her once she is done, that part came from listening to 'Feelin' Love' by Paula Cole. Sexy song:P I just had to make that note because if it hadn't been for those songs I don't think the chapters would have turned out so well :P **

**Once again thank you for the constant feedback on the chapters. It has been great. **** Here is the next chapter so, read, enjoy and review. Thanks**

The street was filled with people, music rumbling through the ground. People were dancing already in some parts of the street, others stood one side laughing and talking and others slipped away into darkened corners or down little alleyways to get away from the crowds.

Elena looked around, smiling at the turn out and the lively vibe that filled the air. Damon looked at Elena and smiled.

'You'd swear you've never been to a party before Elena,' Damon said nudging her playfully.

Elena looked at him and shook her head.

'Well of course I've been to parties Damon, I've just never been to one that was this big,' she replied nudging him back making him chuckle slightly.

'Want something to drink?' he asked nodding his head in the direction of a couple of guys selling drinks one side.

Elena looked in their direction and nodded.

'Yeah I could use a drink.'

'Beer?'

'Sure.'

Damon nodded his head as they walked over to the men. As they approached the three men gawked at Elena, causing Damon to growl low and pull her closer to him. As soon as they looked Damon's way and saw the look on his face they did not look her way again which made Damon smile smugly. He handed Elena her beer, paid for the drinks and picked up his own before leading her off through the crowds.

They took a seat on a low wall and Elena scanned the crowds as she sipped on her beer. She noticed a few young men gawking at her which made her blush but then they'd get this look of sheer fear in their eyes before scurrying off. She frowned slightly after about the fourth guy that passed did the exact same thing. She looked over at Damon who looked at her with his usual smirk.

'What?'

Elena narrowed her eyes. 'Are you scaring all the men away Damon?'

Damon rolled his eyes and sighed. 'I don't see _any_ men around here; all I see is a bunch of _boys _that's it.' He replied before taking a sip of his beer.

'You haven't answered my question. Are they fleeing off in the opposite direction to me because you're glaring at them or doing some vampy thing I don't know about to scare them off?'

Damon shrugged. 'Maybe I am.'

Elena laughed softly and shook her head. 'And what happened to having an outfit that oozed sex appeal and all of that?'

Damon looked her over. 'Well it definitely oozes sex appeal Elena….perhaps a little too much,' Damon muttered the last words before looking away and taking another sip of his beer.

'So now I look _too_ sexy for your liking? Man you really are a difficult man to please.' Elena said jokingly.

Damon looked at her but he was not laughing. 'Oh no I'm not,' Damon said, hopping off the wall and moving to stand between Elena's legs, placing his hands on the wall, moving in a little closer to her, his eyes locked with hers. 'I'm quite simple actually. And it's not that you're dressed _too_ sexy for _my_ liking because if that was the case I wouldn't have chosen this outfit. It's just I should have thought about how _this_ outfit would affect all the little boys around here and now I have to make sure that they don't even _think _about coming near you.'

Elena swallowed hard, her heart racing, her breath shallow.

'Why worry yourself over that? It's not like I have a boyfriend I have to stay faithful to. Last I checked my last one decided to be unfaithful first.'

Damon frowned slightly. He knew she was right. Damon didn't have a claim over her. Damon didn't have a right really to be so protective of her and to want to keep the little boys away from her because she was single and could do what she wanted. _No you don't have a claim over her but you want to Damon. You want her to be all yours and no one else's. You want her because you know she would love you and you alone._ Damon sighed and looked down.

'I guess you're right,' he looked at her smiling slightly. 'Maybe I'm just being too protective because I don't want you to go running off with just anybody simply because you're on the rebound.'

Elena looked down at her drink.

'I'm a big girl Damon, I can look after myself,' she mumbled and then looked back at him. 'I'm not that naïve. I'm really not interested in 'running off' with anyone here. I came here with _you_ because I wanted to get away from everything back home and enjoy some fun care-free time with _you _Damon and that's what I plan on doing.'

'Well alright then,' Damon replied stepping away from her and grabbing his drink. 'Let's go have some fun.'

Elena drew in a staggered breath, hopped off the wall and followed him off towards a shooter bar they had set up.

Damon placed his empty bottle on the counter, cursing himself silently for being such an idiot for letting all of that slip out of him. He felt like a complete idiot now and bit his tongue to remind himself not to do that again. Elena finally made it over to him and set her own drink down on the counter.

'So…what are we doing here?'

Damon looked at her, a crooked smile on his face.

'Well you said that you were here to have some fun with me and my type of fun demands that we have a few shooters.' Damon replied, calling the bartender over. 'So what will it be?'

Elena shrugged. 'I don't know Damon,' she replied and then lowered her voice. 'I don't drink that much remember…I'm underage.'

Damon leaned in and whispered. 'Tonight you're not but I'll go ahead and order then for us.' Damon replied and then looked at the bartender. 'Give me six shots of tequila.'

Elena scrunched up her face. 'Tequila, couldn't you pick something else?'

Damon rolled his eyes. 'Well you didn't want to order so I'm left with ordering so I'll order what I like.'

Elena shook her head. 'Fine, whatever.'

The bartender set six glasses down in a row and filled them. Damon paid him and set three glasses down in front of Elena.

'Right now, you need to throw those back one after the other, no stopping. Ready?'

Elena picked up the first glass let out a short huff of breath and nodded. 'Ready.'

In less than a minute she downed all three shots, her face twisting into an expression of sheer disgust as the alcohol made its way down her throat, burning slightly. Damon chuckled softly and called the bartender over again. Elena looked at him and shook her head.

'No Damon, no more.'

'Oh come on Elena, live a little,' Damon replied with a smirk.

'Are _you_ going to carry me back to the Guest House then?'

Damon laughed. 'The last I checked you had a high tolerance for alcohol so I think you'll be okay.' Damon pushed the glass over to her again then grabbed the salt shaker and a bowl of lemon slices. 'Here we'll dampen the taste down a little for you.'

Elena looked at the salt then the lemon then at Damon. Damon shook his head.

'You need to come drinking with me more often.' He grabbed her wrist and pulled it up to his mouth, running his tongue over her skin, smirking slightly as he heard her gasp at his sudden action then moan softly.

'What the hell are you…'

Damon held up the salt shaker and sprinkled salt onto her wrist.

'Right so you lick off the salt, down the shot and then suck on the lemon slice, got it?'

Elena nodded slowly.

'Good,' Damon replied and placed salt onto his hand.

'Okay….go.'

Elena licked the salt off her wrist, downed the shooter and sucked on the lemon slice. She tossed the lemon slice into an empty bowl and licked her lips.

'Well that wasn't too bad but I still would choose _anything_ else over tequila,' she said smiling slightly.

Damon laughed and shook his head.

'You're a wimp,' he said nudging her slightly. 'Don't worry, you'll grow to like it.'

'If you say so,' Elena replied, smiling and then finishing off her beer, already feeling a little warm and a slight buzz in her head.

They had one more round of shots and then the DJ played a song Elena absolutely loved.

'Okay we have to dance to this song,' Elena said, looking at Damon, her eyes pleading and a slight pout on her lips.

Damon laughed and shook his head.

'No need to pout Miss Gilbert. I'm the fun brother remember?' Damon said, taking her hand and pulling her towards the dancing crowd. 'Although the pout is really cute,' he said, winking at her over his shoulder. Damon stopped and pulled Elena close. Elena gasped slightly as she felt her body press against Damon's. He slipped one arm around her, resting it on the small of back. Elena placed her hand on his chest and the other Damon held firmly in his and he held Elena's gaze as they began to move to the beat. Elena was completely lost in his gaze and so gasped when suddenly Damon tilted her back and lifted her back towards him slowly. She giggled a little as he did it again making him smile. Damon spun her away from him and then pulled her back to him only this time he had her back pressed against his chest, his hands resting on her hips as they continued to move to the music. Elena's heart raced as she felt their bodies move together. She turned her head to the side to look at Damon, his eye intense as always, drawing her into their own private little world once again. Damon moved his head in a little closer causing Elena to stop breathing for a moment but she let out her breath again as he moved his head down to her neck. Elena closed her eyes and slid one arm around his neck, her fingers moving into his hair. Elena placed her head back on his shoulder and shivered slightly as she felt Damon's hands brush over the exposed skin of her stomach as he wrapped his arms around her. Elena's other hand instinctively ran over his arms. Damon buried his face into her neck, inhaling the scent of her perfume deeply. Elena had officially lost the battle. She couldn't deny it anymore and it would be foolish to even try. _You're drunk Elena!_ She knew that wasn't true. She had a slight buzz but she knew she wasn't drunk and the way she felt now was just the feelings she had always felt when around Damon only this time they were more intense as she finally came to accept how she felt about him. But now that she was accepting these feelings she really didn't know how to act around him. She was still a little frightened of feeling this way because she really didn't know what to expect. This was all new to her. She always went for the 'safer' options, always went for the 'good' guy. This was new territory for her.

Damon held Elena close, listening to her racing heart, picking up on her shallow breathing. He wondered what she was thinking about right now. He tensed slightly when he felt her hand move into his hair, not expecting that from her. He bit back a low growl that wanted to escape him at her actions, feeling his own breathing becoming shallow. He buried his face into her neck taking in her scent, closing his eyes as he was lost in a world that consisted of just them and the music. No one else was around. Damon's hold on Elena tightened slightly and he ran the tip of his nose along the length of her neck, bringing his lips to her ear.

'What are you thinking about Elena?' he whispered, smirking as a soft moan escapes her and he feels her body tremble slightly.

'Um…uh…I'm…I'm not really…thinking about anything,' she replied in a whisper of her own, her sentence broken with shallow breaths and obvious concentration on forming a coherent sentence.

'Okay so then if you're not thinking about anything…what are you _feeling_?'

_Damon what the hell are you doing? Where are you going with this? Don't do it Damon! Don't do it! _Damon pushed the thoughts aside as he waited for a response from Elena. Elena felt her breathing becoming heavier as he whispered in her ear once more. His question was pulling at answers she didn't want to give him. She didn't want to say what apart of her was _dying _ to say because it would admit her feelings to him and some of the things racing through her mind now made her blush slightly as she thought about them because they were things she would never speak of out loud.

'Um….' Elena swallowed, 'Um….I uh…'

God she felt like a complete idiot. She couldn't get a coherent sentence out. She didn't want to _tell _Damon how she was feeling; she wanted to _show_ him exactly how she was feeling. _Oh God Elena I can't believe you just had that thought. This is so not you Elena! This is the alcohol in your system talking. _ She knew that was all a lie. Elena turned her head and looked at Damon, his eyes locking with hers, not even trying to hide the obvious burning desire he had for her. Elena swallowed hard, licked her lips and leaned in towards him, her heart feeling as though it was going to burst right out of her chest.

Just as their lips were about to touch the heavens above opened up and a shower of rain came crashing down onto them. Elena gasped as the cold drops pelted down onto her skin, snapping her right out of the trance. Screams and laughs erupted around them as people began to scurry off home. Damon glared up at the sky. _Perfect timing. _ He shook his head and looked around at the people scurrying off. Elena pulled away from him and began to hurry off but Damon grabbed her hand. Elena stopped, looked at his hand and then at him, seeing that desire still burning in his eyes.

'Damon come on, we have to get inside.'

Damon pulled her back to him.

'Why? It's just rain.'

'I…I know that,' she replied, smiling slightly as she placed her hands on his chest to try and pry herself out of his grip. 'But you don't want me to get sick or end up in the hospital with pneumonia do you?'

'A little rain won't do that Elena. It might give you a case of the sniffles but it won't put you in the hospital,' he whispered, as he took in her beauty. She looked so good wet. Damon growled low and leaned in once more to kiss her.

'Hey you two, you better get inside! There's apparently one hell of a storm heading this way!' an elderly man yelled to them from across the street.

Elena looked at the man. 'Uh yeah we're heading home now!' she yelled back, pulled out of Damon's embrace and pulled him along with her as she hurried off towards the Guest House. Damon glared at the man as they passed by him. He was ready to snap his neck for interrupting them. _Maybe this is all a sign you idiot! Maybe this is fate's way of telling you to not be foolish, to bury your feelings for her until the right time._ Damon sighed and shook his head slightly. The thoughts running through his mind were complete bullshit. This had nothing to do with fate at all because he _knew_ that Elena wanted him just as badly as he wanted her; he could _see and hear_ it all over her. Perhaps it wasn't supposed to happen _right then_ but it was going to happen tonight. He wouldn't take no for an answer.

Elena ran towards the guest house her mind reeling with thoughts of what was about to happen back there. Her entire body grew hot at the thought of kissing Damon and her heart hammered away in a mixture of excitement and fear. She knew she had wanted it to happen, wanted the kiss and so much more and her whole entire body seemed to scream at the man when he interrupted that moment. Her mind had regained control in that moment and decided to put it to good use and get them out of the rain. _But once you're inside you'll have no reason not to kiss him Elena. So if it happens just go with it, don't fight it off! You know that the fear you have is simply a fear of the unknown and deep down, behind that fear you know that the unknown excites you! The unknown is what you need Elena! You need to move out of a comfort zone and…live a little. _Elena's brow furrowed with concentration as her mind mulled over these thoughts and all of them were ringing true to her. They finally reached the Guest House and suddenly Elena didn't want to go inside as she began to feel nervous about what might happen once they entered inside but her mind had no control over what her body did. She moved quickly up the stairs and inside. She let out a sigh of relief as she heard Pamela gasp slightly to the right of her.

'Oh you poor dears, you got caught in that sudden shower. Here let me take your jackets and get them dried off.'

'Thank you Pamela,' Elena said as she slipped off her drenched jacket before running a hand over her face and back over her hair.

Damon took off his jacket and handed it to Pamela, running a hand through his hair to get it out of his face as best he could.

'Thanks Pamela.'

'Now you two go and get dried off in the room. I saw those clouds rolling in and took the liberty of lighting a fire in the fire place in your room. Good night you two,' Pamela said with a warm smile, handed Elena their room key that she found in the pocket of Elena's jacket and turned to leave.

'Night Pamela,' they both replied in unison and watched her leave.

Suddenly the room was filled with tension. Elena cleared her throat and looked at Damon, not really wanting to look at him for too long because she knew _exactly_ how gorgeous he looked when he was wet all thanks to earlier when he decided to grace her with his presence right after his shower.

'Well uh…um…let's go and get changed,' she mumbled.

'Yeah…sure,' Damon replied and headed for the stairs. He stopped and stepped aside. 'Ladies first,' he said with a smirk.

Elena smiled slightly and walked past him, heading up the stairs, knowing she didn't want to look back at him because she didn't want to see him watching her with those intense, desire-filled eyes. Elena reached the door of their room and slipped the key in but seemed to battle to get it to turn, her hand trembling slightly and she didn't know if that was because she was cold or because her body was aching to feel Damon's touch again.

Damon stood behind Elena, watching a few droplets of water fall from strands of her hair and land on her skin, sending thoughts of running his tongue over her soft skin to lick up each drop that fell. Damon shook his head to try and clear those thoughts but each thought that crept into his mind only made his will to stay in control break down a little more. He could smell the slight tinge of fear rolling off Elena. He could understand in a way why she would be afraid of acting on any urges she had. Damon was the big bad Salvatore brother…and the big bad guys were _not_ Elena's first choice so this entire thing was new to her. But he didn't _want_ that fear to stop her from acting on whatever urges she had for him and the more he thought about it the more irritated he got with that. _Nothing is going to happen Damon….unless you make it happen. You know that. _ Damon's thoughts moved from that when he noticed Elena struggling to open the door. Damon stepped closer to Elena, stretched his hand out, drawing him closer to her. He swallowed as his hand found hers, his breathing becoming shallow.

'Here, let me do that,' he whispered against her neck.

Elena's hand fell away from the key, her eyes closed and a soft moan escaped her just as her body shuddered slightly at the feel of his breath on her skin, her body resting back into him. Damon turned the key slowly, enjoying the feel of her body against his, growling low as he picked up the scent of her apparent arousal as it mixed its way into the scent of her perfume and wet skin. His growl made Elena moan softly once more and her lips to part slightly as she drew in ragged breaths that she tried so hard to slow down. The lock clicked as the door unlocked making Elena's eyes snap open. She cleared her throat, muttered a small 'thank you' in his direction and hurried to open the door.

Damon watched her hurry inside. _That's it, I've had enough of this!_ Damon took the key out the door, closed it behind him, locked it and set the key down on the chest of drawers to his right. Damon watched Elena for a moment as she took her hair out of the clip, letting her wet hair hang loose. Damon moved across the room, spun her around to face him, a gasp escaping her as she was suddenly turned around.

'Damon w…'

Damon's lips came crashing down onto Elena's as he pulled her against him, his tongue flicking over her lips demanding access which they finally granted to him. His tongue found hers as he kissed her fiercely, his hands moving down over her back, his fingers working to undo the clasps on her top. Elena moaned into the kiss, a part of her mind still trying to fight this. _It's too soon! It's too soon!_ Her mind kept yelling over and over again. She tried to push away from Damon, tried to get away from him but the more she struggled the tighter her held her. She drew in a sharp breath when she felt the first clasp on the back of her top loosen and then her mind's thoughts were completely drowned out with waves of pure heated desire for Damon. She stopped pushing and started pulling him closer to her. Her entire body heated up as the kiss intensified. Damon growled low and managed to slip her top off and throw it to the ground, a soft groan escaping him as his hands ran up her back. Elena pushed Damon back up against the wall, surprising both Elena and Damon; but Damon liked it. Elena's hands worked swiftly to undo the buttons on his shirt, her lips moving from his and working their way down his neck, the room being filled with his ragged breaths. Elena pressed her hips against his, grinding them gently into his, moaning against his neck as she felt his arousal through his pants. Elena finally got the last button undone and hurriedly tugged his shirt off over his shoulders, discarding it one side before returning her lips to his. Damon moved one hand into her hair, gripping the roots of it gently as he groaned into the kiss, loving this rougher side to Elena. Elena raked her hands down Damon's bare chest, causing a louder growl to escape him and his body to shudder. The growl made Elena moan into the kiss and a shiver race down her spine. Her hands found the buckle of his belt and began to work it loose before loosening the button and the zipper. Damon swiftly kicked off his shoes just as Elena pushed his pants down over his hips.

Damon pushed away from the wall, gathering Elena up into his arms, stepped out from the pants around his ankles and moved to lay her down on the bed. He moved his lips down over her neck, pulling the choker off from around it. He moved down over her chest, his lips moving first over one breast then the other, still covered in the black lace bra he had chosen for her to wear making a smug smirk appear on his lips. Elena watched him, noticing the smirk on his face.

'What's the…smirk for?' she whispered.

Damon looked up at her and shook his head before moving his lips down over her stomach. His hands gripped her skirt and slid it off as he stood up dropping it to the floor. He tilted his head to the side as his eyes roamed over her half naked form. He groaned softly at the sight of her in black lace and leather stiletto boots, lust clear as day on her face. Damon returned his lips to hers in a passionate kiss, both of them moaning as bare skin came into contact with bare skin. Elena hitched one leg around his waist and began to roll her hips up against his making him groan as she rubbed against his arousal. Damon felt his fangs extend and graze over her tongue which made Elena gasp and tense slightly. Damon stopped kissing her and looked down into her eyes.

'I'm…I'm not going…to hurt you Elena,' he whispered.

She swallowed and nodded slowly. 'I…I know.'

He returned his lips to hers in a passionate kiss, running his hand slowly and sensually up along her leg, stopping when he found the zipper on her boot. He sat back, his eyes staying locked with Elena's as he lifted one leg and slowly pulled the zipper of her boot down. He removed it and then repeated the process with the other, his eyes remaining on hers the entire time, making the entire act intense and causing her to moan softly. Damon moved his lips slowly down along her leg, teasing a little more as his lips moved down along her skin. He could hear her breathing become heavier, hear her heart hammering furiously in her chest and smell the scent of her arousal growing stronger.

Elena's hands gripped at the covers on the bed as his lips moved over her skin, moving down her inner thigh. She bit her lip as she moaned her back arching as she squirmed. She couldn't take much more of his teasing.

'Damon, please…stop teasing,' she whimpered.

Damon smirked and returned his body to hover over hers, running a hand down over her stomach. He let it run over the lace fabric of her underwear and slowly ran his fingers along the now wet patch that he discovered making him growl low.

'Is _this_ how I affect you Elena?' he whispered as he ran his fingers over the patch once more, making Elena moan a little louder.

Elena nodded her head grinding her hips up against his fingers.

'Damon please…' she begged, her words cut off by a soft moan.

Damon leaned down and whispered in her ear. 'Please….what…Elena?'

Elena whimpered softly as his fingers continued to run their course over her underwear, her craving for him going above anything she had ever felt before. Her fingers clawed at his arms, her breath ragged.

'Stop teasing me,' she moaned.

Damon pushed her underwear one side and ran a finger up the length of her slit, gasping in surprise when he felt just how wet she was and that was all it took. Damon ripped the last shreds of material from both their bodies, spread Elena's legs a little wider and slowly slid into her, growling into her neck as he felt every inch of him enveloped in her soft, wet folds. Elena arched off the bed as Damon entered her, her knuckles going white as she gripped the covers on the bed a little tighter. Damon watched as Elena began to writhe on the bed with each thrust from him, the sight and the realization that this was all real making it more difficult for him to keep control over himself.

Elena rolled them; placing Damon on his back, looking down at him with lust filled eyes. Damon growled low as she began to grind down onto him, meeting his every thrust. Damon's fingers dug into her hips as she moved. Elena leaned down, pressing her chest against his, making him groan low. Elena smiled a small wicked smile to herself as she heard him groan, her hips moving a little faster as she placed small kisses up along Damon's neck, stopping just below his ear, nipping the skin playfully before beginning to suck on it gently. Damon's body shuddered at her actions and he groaned as he rolled them once more, placing Elena on her 's hands moved to claw at his chest but Damon grabbed them and pinned them above her head, his eyes locked with hers, his thrusts becoming harder and faster, causing Elena to moan louder. Damon moved his lips down along her neck, his fangs grazing over her skin, causing Elena to buck her hips faster. Damon growled against her skin as Elena writhed beneath him.

'Oh god Damon!' she mumbled between moans.

Damon groaned as he heard her cries of pleasure and he couldn't hold back any longer. As he thrust one final time, his fangs sank into her skin. Elena let out a cry of pain and pleasure and with that came the release of her orgasm which sent Damon over the edge. He grunted and groaned as he continued to drink from her, taking in her sweet blood, thrusting still as her body trembled beneath him and her cries dulled into soft moans between heavy pants of breath. When both their bodies stopped trembling Damon removed his fangs from her neck, running his tongue over them, taking in every last drop before licking the wound clean. He kept his eyes closed as he calmed himself down, feeling his fangs slowly retract.

'Damon…look at me,' Elena whispered.

Damon shook his head, eyes still closed. He didn't want her to see him like this.

Elena wriggled her hand loose from his grip and cupped his face.

'Please look at me.'

Damon swallowed and opened his eyes slowly. Elena's eyes widened slightly and then softened as she ran her fingers lightly around his eyes, taking in the intensity of them. She leaned up and kissed him softly once more and the kiss helped calm him down completely. Damon moved to lay down on the bed, pulling Elena into his arms. Elena rested her head on his chest, trailing her fingers lightly over his muscles feeling completely at peace. Elena frowned slightly and looked up at Damon.

'What was with that smug smirk of yours earlier?'

Damon's smirk crossed his lips, knowing what she was talking about.

'Oh a thought just came to me then. It was something you had said to me earlier in the day.'

Elena frowned. 'What did I say?'

'Well when you were browsing the lingerie section today you said to me that I would not be seeing you in your underwear anytime soon.'

Elena frowned a little more as she thought back to earlier, gasped and then giggled sheepishly feeling her face flush slightly. 'Oh….right…yeah I did say that.'

'I guess that idea failed hopelessly then.'

Elena chuckled softly.

'Yeah….you could say that.'

Damon leaned down and kissed her softly and he knew he was ready to face whatever would be waiting for them back in Mystic Falls. His heart wasn't shattered anymore, and neither was Elena's. They had managed to pick up the pieces of each other's hearts and put them back together.


	8. Author's Note

**A/N: Well thank you to all for the wonderful reviews. **** I should have put a note at the end of the last chapter to say that that was meant to be the end of the story but it seems like you're all expecting more to happen from that last chapter. **

**I have a few ideas swimming around in my head but what I would REALLY like is to hear from you what you would like to see happen next. So please…drop me a comment or a mail and give me your thoughts on what you would like to see happen in the story **

**When I have enough ideas I will try and put them all together and HOPEFULLY I can come up with one or two last chapters for the story **


	9. Final GoodByes & Sweet Realizations

**A/N: Okay so this is the final Chapter and it's really not the greatest I know. Sort of an anti-climax, but I started writing this chapter then got busy and when I finally managed to get back to it I kind of lost interest in it all. But here it is finished. **

Elena woke the next morning and stretched, smiling slightly as she felt the warm rays of sun dancing over her skin. She opened her eyes to watch the dust particles dancing in the rays that managed to escape through a slit in the curtains. She shifted in the bed and felt something tighten around her, pulling her closer to a smooth form behind her.

Elena frowned slightly and pulled the covers back to reveal an arm draped over her. She turned and looked over her shoulder, a smile appearing on her lips as she saw Damon sleeping soundly behind her. She turned over to face him completely, drinking in the sight of his calm, peaceful features as he slept. She lifted one hand a traced it gently down along his face, starting at his temple and working her way down along his jaw line before resting her hand on the pillow. Damon stirred slightly but did not wake. Elena's mind recalled the events of the night before but she still could not comprehend that it had all happened the way her mind was playing it back. She smiled a little more as she recalled the way he made her feel, the way she now seemed to glow as thoughts of last night were replaced with ones of spending more time with Damon, being closer to him than she had ever thought she would be. Elena frowned a little. She needed to go for a walk to get all her thoughts in check. She had to make sure that what she was feeling was real and not simply thoughts that would come sneaking into her mind after a night of such euphoric pleasures. She knew that her heart would still be vulnerable and any forms of intimacy she was exposed to might make her heart latch onto it, wrap itself around it and not let go. She couldn't have her heart breaking again if she realized that everything she was feeling wasn't real, that it would simply be a tangle of emotions that would dissipate once the euphoric state she was in left her completely and she was brought back down to reality.

Elena climbed out of the bed quietly and tip toed her way into the bathroom after grabbing some clothes and fresh underwear. She had a quick shower, slipped on her clothes and pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail before exiting the bathroom. She looked over to the bed, making sure Damon was still sleeping. She grabbed the key, unlocked the door and exited quietly. She let out a soft sigh as she relaxed and headed down the hall. As she descended the stairs she was greeted with a warm hello from Pamela.

'Going out dear?'

'Um, yeah just for a little walk. Need to clear away some thoughts,' Elena replied with a slight smile.

'Well you just let me know when you want your jackets back and I'll collect them from downstairs. Enjoy your walk dear.'

'Thank you Pamela.'

Elena exited the guest house, inhaled the fresh, warm air, taking in the scent of wet grass as well as the scent of the rain still hanging in the atmosphere. Elena made her way down the steps, hands in her jean pockets and began to take a slow stroll down the road, letting her mind run off with its thoughts as it tried to decipher what was real and what it felt was something that was all a figment of her imagination.

Damon rolled onto his back his hand feeling around the empty space next to him. He frowned slightly and was just about to open his eyes when he felt a feather light touch move over his chest and felt legs move to his sides as Elena sat down on top of him, straddling him. Damon's usual smirk crossed his lips at her actions, which he was enjoying immensely, feeling his skin tingle as her fingers moved up along the bare skin on his chest. Damon brought his hands up to rest on her hips.

'Mmmmmm I'm really enjoying this wake up call,' he whispered.

He felt her lean down, pressing herself against him. He growled low as he felt her tongue move up along his neck to his ear.

'I'm glad you're enjoying it, my dear, sweet innocent Damon.'

Damon's eyes snapped open at that voice because he knew this wasn't Elena simply from the cold, hard edge to it.

Damon growled a menacing growl as he pushed Katherine back from him, his hand closing around her throat and tightening. She hissed back at him only making him close his hand around her neck tighter. He flipped her down onto the bed, pinning her beneath him.

'What the hell are you doing here you little bitch?' he spat at her.

Katherine glared up at him, her hands clawing at his, trying to make him loosen his hold. She stopped, relaxed and then pouted.

'I came to see you Damon. I missed you.'

Damon laughed darkly, feeling a sickening anger rising in him.

'You need to actually _care_ about someone before you can miss them Katherine and the last I checked you did _not_ care about me. You came back for Stefan!'

Damon tightened his hold. He knew he could snap her neck right now he was so angry but he wanted to know how the hell she found him and why she was _really _here.

'So I'll ask _again…._why the hell are you here?'

Katherine glared at Damon and hissed low. 'Fine, I didn't come here to see you. I got dragged here by that brother of yours because he wanted to see Elena. He wanted to speak to her about….him and I. He wanted to tell her it was over between them. But,' Katherine inhaled the scent around her and an evil smile snaked across her lips, 'from the scent in here I'd say that her and Stefan were over a _long_ time ago.'

Damon growled low and then released Katherine, getting off the bed and moving around the room to get dressed. As much as he wanted to kill her, he needed to find Elena because he got a sudden chill that came with a 'what if' scenario that made its way into his mind.

What if Elena saw Stefan, Stefan saw Elena, they both apologized profusely for what they may now see as regrets, kiss and make up. Damon had given himself completely to Elena last night. He had opened up to her entirely and if this entire scenario came to be real….Damon shook the thoughts away of what would happen to him. He needed to keep hope that it wouldn't and he was just being foolish. Katherine sat up on the bed, eyebrow raised as she watched Damon.

'Scared that their love for each other might still be hidden in them Damon?'

'Katherine I suggest you keep that mouth of yours shut and that snake-like tongue of yours tied because right now I am in _no_ mood to have _you_ planting your own little seeds of doubt.'

Damon pulled on his shoes and flung the door open, making his way down the stairs and out the door, Katherine following close behind him.

'So there_ is_ doubt.'

Damon ignored her and inhaled deeply, picking up Elena's scent and marching off in the direction of it.

'Katherine how about you do the world a favour and take that necklace of yours off _right_ now! I can guarantee you that _no one_ other than perhaps Stefan would miss you and his loss will do the world of good to everyone else.'

'Ouch. I do believe that tongue of yours has become a lot more hostile over the years.' Katherine replied.

Damon did his best to ignore her, keeping his mind focused on finding Elena.

Elena's face was bunched up in a frown as it worked through the thoughts. She _knew_ that what she was feeling was all real. She had felt that _connection_ that she and Damon shared just grow stronger last night. Neither of them was denying the feelings they clearly had for each other. They had given into those feelings that had been kept tightly bound within them, they had unlocked the sheer passion and the burning intensity of those feelings and they were drowned beneath the euphoric and intimate waves that were accompanied with such passion and intensity. They became closer, and deep down Elena _knew_ that in that one act of pure intimacy and raw passion, Damon had let her in completely. He had given her full access to his un-beating heart and told her that it now belonged to her. In the throws of passion, every touch, every kiss, every whispered word against her skin was telling her that, was letting her know just how deeply connected to him she would be; and all of this made Elena glow that much more.

She_ wanted_ it all. She wanted to have every part of Damon all to herself. She wanted to _show_ him that she could love him better than anyone ever could. She wanted to show him what it meant and felt like to be _truly_ loved. As Elena's mind accepted that this was what her heart truly desired she felt a wide grin form on her face and her heart began to flutter. She needed to tell Damon all of this. She needed to get it out of her…she needed to tell him that she, Elena Gilbert, was whole-heartedly in love with him. Elena bit her bottom lip, stopped and then turned around to head back to the guest house, a love sick smile still on her lips. She turned the corner and all the good feelings disappeared when she was met by the sight of Stefan sitting on a bench. He looked up when he saw her, a sheepish smile forming on his face. Elena drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. She didn't know exactly how she felt about seeing Stefan but one of those feelings was definitely anger. Stefan stood up and walked towards her a small, almost apologetic on his face and that just made Elena even angrier. Why was that smile on his face? She didn't want apologies from him, she just wanted him to leave her alone and let her move on with her life….with Damon. She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly; folding her arms across her chest to make it completely known to him that she did not welcome his appearance here at all. She stopped a little way from him and looked at him with cold, emotionless eyes. Stefan ran a hand through his hair and cleared his throat.

'Hey Elena,' he greeted her in a soft voice making her anger and irritation rise that much more.

Elena scoffed and shook her head. 'Wow, after all that's happened you come here with a 'Hey Elena' greeting.' Elena shook her head and looked down at the sidewalk trying to keep calm.

Stefan sighed, 'Look, Elena I'm…I'm s-'

Elena held up her hand. 'Don't stand here and try to apologize to me Stefan because I don't want to hear it at all.' She answered, her eyes glaring. 'You hurt me with your actions, Katherine hurt Damon with her words. The damage has been done, there is nothing you or her can say that will make that all go away. So please, save the apologies for someone who wants to hear them and actually cares.'

Elena pushed past Stefan and began to walk away. Stefan growled low and spun around.

'You can hear Damon in you already, not to mention _smell_ him all over you!'

Elena stopped in her tracks, turned and marched back over to Stefan.

'You're getting angry at me because I slept with your brother! The last _I_ checked Stefan _we_ were over the moment you decided to screw that whore from your past so I think that action pretty much constitutes a silent break up between two people. I can do whatever I want with whoever I want and _you_ have _no right_ to get upset over that!'

Elena glared at Stefan and he at her, a silent battle raging between the two of them. He was at a loss for words. He knew she was right but he had so much he wanted to say but the anger in him just cut off all the words rumbling around in his mind. And then for some reason, he was not sure was, Stefan grabbed Elena, pulled her close and crushed his lips down onto hers, growling low. Elena gasped at the sudden action, taken completely off guard but she snapped back and began to claw at him, trying to push him off of her, his sudden action only making her anger rise to seething point.

Damon rounded the corner and stopped at the site before him. He couldn't breath he couldn't blink his eyes, he couldn't move at all. He just stood and watched as Stefan and Elena were locked in a rather heated kiss. Katherine hissed low next to him but he knew she couldn't act either. She was in just as much shock as he was. Damon felt his heart begin to slowly break once again, he swallowed hard against the lump rising into his throat, determined to not let it get lodged there. He tried to draw in a breath but it hurt too much. He looked down and away from the scene, frowning slightly, trying to regain some form of control over his body. He wasn't going to fight. He was too broken up to fight. He drew in a staggered breath and turned slowly away from the scene.

SLAP!

The sound was thunderous in his ears and he spun around to see Stefan stumbling back slightly, Elena's hand dropping to her side and her eyes filled with anger and disgust as she glared at Stefan.

'Stefan…you…I….Ugh,' she couldn't form any words she was seething with anger.

Elena turned from Stefan and began to storm off, stopping when she saw Damon. She swallowed and looked at Stefan, then at Damon.

'It's…um….I'

Damon made his way over to her, drawing her into his arms and holding her close.

'You don't need to explain Elena,' he whispered into her hair, before glaring at Stefan, 'I can pretty much gather what happened.'

Elena let out a low sigh and buried her face into his chest, her hands grasping at his shirt collar, inhaling his scent deeply, wanting to wash away any and all traces of Stefan from her. Katherine made her way over to Stefan, clearly not happy with what she had seen herself. She grabbed Stefan by the arm and dragged him off around the corner, a heated conversation erupting between the two of them. Damon shook his head and cupped Elena's face in his hands. He looked down at her, a small smile on his face as he was drawn in by the soft warm brown colour of her eyes. Elena looked back at him, a shiver of pleasure racing through her as her eyes met with his intense blue ones.

'I love you Damon,' she whispered, the words just slipping out making her blush slightly.

Damon frowned slightly. 'What did you say?'

He knew what she had said, he just needed to hear her say it again.

'I love you Damon,' she said a little louder and without a single hesitation.

Damon smiled a warm, genuine smile before kissing Elena softly.

'I love you too Elena,' he whispered, leaning his head against hers, his entire body completely warmed up by her words.

Elena grinned the silly love-sick grin she had earlier and a soft giggle escaped her.

'Did you just giggle Miss Gilbert?'

Elena rolled her eyes and pushed Damon away playfully.

'Oh shut up,' she replied, smiling from ear to ear, her face flushing a little more.

Damon pulled her back, draping his arm over her shoulders and walking down the street.

'Let's go and get something to eat. We have a lot to discuss.'

Elena nodded, wrapping her arm around his waist as they walked down the street, happy and content. She knew this is where she was meant to be….all along.


End file.
